Malec Tales Series 1: The Nephilim and the Warlock
by Yaoilover2873
Summary: Malec Fairy Tale series 1: A Beauty and the beast AU. After sending away a Shadowhunter in need, Magnus Bane and everyone he loves becomes cursed by a demon. If he can love a Nephilim and have them love him back, the curse will be lifted. In order to save his siblings, Alec Lightwood gives himself to Magnus for their freedom. Will he be the one to lift the curse and save them all?
1. Prologue

**A little preview of my next story. Small but it gets the point across.**

* * *

Malec Tales Series 1: The Nephilim and the Warlock (Beauty and the Beast AU)

 **Prologue**

Once upon a time, there were three groups of people in the world. Mundanes, Shadowhunters, and Downworlders. Mundanes lived in a world of their own, separated from the other kinds. Downworlders were made up of creatures you only read about in books. Werewolves, vampires, warlocks, and so many others. Shadowhunters are a race of half angel, half human warriors who protect the mundanes from demons.

Thousands of years ago, Shadowhunters and Downworlders lived together in peace. Joined by a treaty of accords, both the species worked together to protect the mundane world. Things changed though when some of the Downworlders started stepping out of line. Even with Accords, most Downworlders did not feel like they were being treated as equals.

No matter how many meetings were held and talks of better accords were discussed, the Shadowhunters refused to give in to the Downworlders request for equality. A war ensued, one that would not end for hundreds of years.

Eventually, the Downworlders had no choice but to give in to the Shadowhunters. Many of their kind had been killed, and since most of the species couldn't reproduce, they were dwindling more and more with each battle.

By the end of the war, only a handful of Downworlders were left. New accords were signed, saying that Downworlders and Shadowhunters were to stay out of each other's way. The leader of the remaining Downworlders was a warlock, named Magnus Bane. After personally signing the accords, he conjured up a castle deep in the woods so all the remaining Downworlders could live in peace. The only deal the Downworlders struck, was that no Shadowhunter would ever step foot in their lands for any reason.

One cold night, about a hundred years later, a Shadowhunter would find himself on the steps of that very castle, wounded and freezing. Magnus Bane was the one who answered the door. The man begged him for help, asking if he could come inside for some warmth and healing. Magnus was furious. No matter the reason, he saw the man being on his land as breaking the accords.

He screamed at the man to leave, telling him that he had no right to anything Downworlders had to offer. The man begged him to reconsider, even going as far as to offer Magnus his most precious possession; a Witchlight that was given to him by his dead father.

Magus sneered at the Witchlight, asking why he would ever need something like that, and he yelled at the man to leave once again.

He expected the man to leave but was confused when the Nephilim suddenly started snickering to himself. Magnus watched in shock as the Shadowhunters turned into a man with pale skin stretched and taut over bone, coronet of barbed wire on his head. He had sharp, pointed teeth and his eyes were gold-green eyes with slit-pupiled like a cat's. Magnus put his hand over one of his eyes, thinking it looked a lot like his own.

The man introduced himself as Asmodeus, a greater demon who loved to mess with helpless souls. He told Magnus that turning away a person in need means he's as heartless and soulless as his demon father and someone so cruel wouldn't mind having their soul stolen from them.

Terrified of losing his soul to a demon, Magnus begged him to have mercy, to give him another chance to prove he has a soul. Finding his panic interesting, Asmodeus agreed to his request, but with a price.

He put a curse on Magnus and all the people in his castle. They were to be confined to the castle, never to leave again until Magnus could break the curse. He put the Witchlight in Magnus's hands, making glow in a ray of rainbow light.

He said, "I'll be generous and give you a hundred years. You must fall in love with a Shadowhunter and have them love you in return. If you cannot do that by the time the light of the Witchlight goes out, then I won't just take your soul. I'll take the soul of every person in this castle."

Magnus begged him to reconsider, knowing that it would be close to impossible to make a Shadowhunter fall in love with him. He couldn't leave the castle to meet one, and a Shadowhunter loving a Downworlder was just unheard of. He didn't want the other Downworlders to pay for his selfishness.

It was too late though, the curse was already cast, and Asmodeus vanished, his laughter fading into the night air.

Ninety-nine years passed, each day trapped behind stone walls with no sign of anyone coming to set them free. The more time passed, the more hope was lost. Magnus knew it was all hopeless. In the years since the Downworlders have been locked away, they seemed to be forgotten, wiped out of history. Now, Werewolves, Vampires, warlocks and other creatures were just stories in books.

No one knew to come save them, and Magnus lost all hope anyone ever would.


	2. A Most Piacular Nephilim

Malec Tales Series 1: Nephilim and the Warlock (Beauty and the Beast AU)

Chapter 1: A Most Piacular Nephilim

Alec Pov- I walked into the city of Alicante taking in the nice silence of the morning. The mornings in Idris were always peaceful at sunrise, before the morning rush. Of course, it couldn't last forever. The moment I stepped foot in Alicante, doors to the shops opened and everyone started moving around in a hurry.

It was a shame that Shadowhunters couldn't seem to take time to relax. They are always on the move, preparing for possible wars and protecting mundanes. Even my own family seems to always be doing something. I don't remember the last time we were all together.

"look who decided to come into town" my best friend Jace called out to me. His family owned a weapons shop and he was sweeping the street in front of it. I smiled walking up to him, "you make it sound like I've been hiding away in my home forever. I was here two days ago."

He rolled his eyes, leaning against the store building and crossing his arms. "You left your house to go to the library. That's the only place you ever go." I crossed my arms glaring, "now that is not true at all. I stopped at your family store to buy some more arrows. I have been busy training, which is something you should try occasionally."

Jace rolled his eyes at that. "Oh please, everyone knows you do more reading then training. If it was possible to shoot an arrow while reading I'm sure you would do it. You always have your nose in a book."

"Which is also something you should try occasionally. It wouldn't kill you to pick up a book," I said walking away. He leaned his broom against the building before following me down the road. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you were actually reading something useful. With how much you read, you could be a scholar instead of being on the battle field. You don't read the codex or the gray book. You read fictional stories that aren't even true."

"All the stories are true" I pointed out, stopping in front of the library. He shook his head, "not these ones Alec. Stories about angels, Jonathan Shadowhunter and the story of our history is real. Stories about Vampires, Werewolves, and warlocks are just ridiculous. There's no such thing as magic or creatures that are half demon, yet have souls."

I sighed, shaking my head, "why would there be stories of them if they didn't exist?" He shrugged, "I don't know Alec. Maybe mundanes wrote them and they somehow ended up in our library. The point is, you should stop wasting your time with fiction and start focusing more on your training. You're my Parabatai and we need to be at our best."

I sighed laying my head on the wall before looking back at him. "Fine, I promise I will stay out of the 'fiction' section in the library. I really do need to get some research material for the next mission we get sent on. Is that alright with you?"

He looked at me skeptically before nodding, turning and walking back to the store. I watched him, making sure he left, before I made my way into the library. Lucian Graymark was standing at the desk, smiling when I walked in.

"I was wondering when you would be back Alexander." I smiled at that, "I was here two days ago, Luke." He shrugged, "you usually come here every day so I was surprised when you didn't show up yesterday." "It wasn't my choice. I was behind on my training and my father took notice. He made sure I was stuck in the training room all day yesterday."

He nodded, taking the book I handed him. "I understand. What did you think of your latest read?" I smiled excitedly, "it was amazing Luke. The lore of Werewolves is so interesting. I feel sorry for them when they get turned. They can't control their anger and could just hurt anyone around them… or at least they would if they were real."

"Who says they aren't? After all, all the stories are true, right?" I sighed, "that's what I told Jace but he just told me I was being foolish. Everyone in Idris thinks the possibilities of Downworlders ever existing is ridiculous. What's so ridiculous about it?"

"Nephilim have a hard time believing anything our angel can't explain. An angel rising from a lake and giving a mundane the mortal instruments is believable, but someone being able to use magic and turn into a wolf is not. That's just the way our kind works."

I sighed, walking over to the Nephilim archives. "Well I think that's so close minded. I don't see why these creatures couldn't exist." Luke watched me in silence for a moment before asking, "why are you looking through the archives?"

"I sort of promised Jace that I would stay out of the 'fiction' section of the library." That just caused Luke to smile. "Jace isn't here now, is he?" I looked back at him thinking before smiling, "no, no he's not."

I looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, but no surprise, I was the only person here. I smiled, making my way to the section about Downworlders and skimming the shelves for something new. I have already read everything about vampires, werewolves, fay and even mermaids. I found a couple books on warlocks but there were so few of them that it seemed impossible to fully understand them. All I do know is they are born from mundane mothers and demon fathers.

"Do you got anything new," I called out to Luke frowning. He left his desk and grabbed a latter on wheels, pulling it over to me. "Nothing new, but I don't think you've checked the top shelves yet. There could be something interesting up there."

I thanked him before putting the latter in place and climbing up it. There weren't many books on the top shelf and it was so dusty, it was hard to see the covers clearly. I grabbed a book, going to look it over and a cloud of dust formed in the air, causing me to sneeze.

The sneeze came out so hard that the latter started to fall backwards and I had to quickly grab onto the shelf to stop it. Luckily the latter did stop falling, but books on the top shelf fell to the ground by how hard I grabbed on.

"You okay up there Alec," Luke asked looking up at me. I nodded frowning, "sorry about the mess." He just shrugged and started cleaning it up. I watched him for a moment before looking back at the shelf, "Hand them to me. I'll put them… back…"

My attention was taken away from the mess when a small black leather bound book caught my eye. It was laying on its side covered in dust and was originally hidden away under the books that fell. I grabbed the book, blowing the dust off it before looking it over.

There was no title. The cover was made of leather but was worn by time and the pages seemed yellow and a little stiff. "How old it this book," I asked myself, climbing down from the latter. Once I was on the floor, I opened the book and gasped, seeing it wasn't printed, but hand written in ink.

"I've never seen a hand-written story book before. Do you know what this is Luke," I asked; handing it to him. He put the other books he was holding under his arm before taking the one I was holding and opening it. After a moment, he smiled saying, "this isn't a story book at all. It's a personal journal."

He turned the page toward me and pointed to some initials at the end of the page. "See these two letters? They are signed after every entry. That is a clear sign of being someone's journal." I looked at where he was pointing and sure enough, there were the initials M.B written at the bottom of the page.

"I think I want to look at it for a little while. Is that okay," I asked; taking the book back from him. He nodded gathering the rest of the fallen books and climbing the latter to put them back in place. "I don't see why not."

"Sorry again for the mess," I said before walking over to a table and cracking open the journal. I bit my lip in excitement reading over the first entry, wondering what I would find.

 _January 1_ _st_ _1815_

 _I am starting to feel a change in the wind. I have a bad feeling about the future of Downworlder kind. Us Warlocks are dwindling by the day. Many of us have been disappearing without an explanation. I have come to believe that Nephilim are responsible even though no one else seems to think otherwise. We have always lived in peace both Shadowhunters and Downworlders._

 _The others do not see a reason why they would betray us, but I know better. Nephilim may be half mundane but they are also half angel. No matter what, angels will always think themselves better than others. Especially creatures' decedent from demons like Warlocks._

 _I have tried to warn other warlocks of the danger we are in but no one seems to listen. They think I am young and paranoid over possible betrayal that will never come to pass. I hope they are right. I truly wish to be wrong about the Nephilim betraying us._

 _Without peace, there is only war. If the Nephilim and Downworlders go to war, then it will surely end in disaster on both sides. If warlocks like me keep vanishing, then there will be no way we could ever win a war. Maybe that's what the Nephilim are planning. Maybe they already figured all this out and are acting accordingly._

 _One can only hope to be wrong, and I do so hope that I am wrong._

 _January 1_ _st_ _1815 – M.B_

I frowned curious on what this could mean. It was obviously hand written and is meant to look like a journal entry, yet the person writing is referring to themselves as a warlock. That's not possible though since Warlocks don't exist. Maybe this really is a storybook written in the style of a journal. That seems more likely than an actual warlock having written this.

One thing is for sure though, I want to read more of this book. Standing up, I closed the book and took it over to Luke's desk smiling. "If you don't mind Luke, I would like to check this one out," I said, putting the book on his desk.

He looked at it for a moment before sliding it back toward me. "No need to check it out Alec. Just keep it." This surprised me. "Are you sure? I don't mind just checking it out for a little bit." He shook his head, "I was watching you read it and you seemed very into it. I doubt anyone else will ever be interested in it so it's fair that you keep it."

I smiled, picking up the book. "Well thank you Luke. I promise to take great care of it." He smiled and with that, I turned and walked out of the library. I was excited to get home and read this story cover to cover. Let's just hope that when I get there, I won't be forced into training.

* * *

"I should have known better," I sighed, holding up my bow, aiming my arrow at a target. My sister Isabelle laughed, leaning against the wall holding her platinum whip. "Dad found out that you went to the library again. He figured if you had time to waste reading pointless stories, then you have time to train."

"I keep telling you all that those stories aren't pointless," I mumbled, letting my arrow fly and hit its target across the room. "That's a matter of opinion," Izzy said, watching as I went to retrieve the arrow.

"Maybe if you all took the time to read them, or in your case anything, then you would see the value of these stories." Isabelle rolled her eyes at that before lashing her whip at my arrow, making it wrap around it and pull it out of the wall. "You're the only one who thinks those stories are valuable. You're getting Max into that stuff too and dad isn't happy about it."

"What am I not happy about," dad asked, walking into the training room. We both turned to face him, standing straight to be respectful. "We were talking about Alec's reading habits," Isabelle said, making me glare at her.

"She's right Alexander. You could be doing a lot more useful things with your time. If You're going to get a seat on the council, you need to prove that you're worthy." I sighed, crossing my arms, "I never said I wanted to be on the council."

"Of course, you will. Every Lightwood has been on the council, so, why wouldn't you? You'll be a member of the council and then someday, you'll become an Inquisitor like me." "I don't want to be Inquisitor," I mumbled glancing away.

"Please Alexander, being Inquisitor runs in the family. You're great, great, great grandfather was Inquisitor. As was your great, great grandfather, my father, and myself. You're next in line to uphold the family tradition."

"Why can't Isabelle become the Inquisitor," I asked, crossing my arms frowning. Dad laughed at that, shaking his head. "Alexander, you can't be serious. Isabelle is an amazing warrior but there has never been a woman Inquisitor and there never will be."

Isabelle frowned at that but didn't say anything about it. It may be 2017 but Nephilim are very old fashioned people. Women have rights and are equal to men for most things. They can be council members but they can't ever be higher than that; Inquisitor especially.

I would make the point that Max could be Inquisitor someday but it would have been a lost cause. I'm the oldest so it's my responsibility. My life has been planned for me and there was no way I could stop it. I never really minded though. If I can spend every day with my family, then it's enough. At least… it used to be.

Lately, I've been feeling like there's more out there for me. Like… like I have a greater purpose.

"I came in here for a reason," father said, turning to face Isabelle. "Isabelle, there's a mission for you and Jace out of Idris. Our main portal in the Accords Hall is down so you'll have to go into the forest and use the one by the waterfall.

I frowned, "wait, Isabelle and Jace? Why aren't Jace and I going, or the three of us? Jace is my Parabatai so shouldn't I go as well?" He shook his head, "you have been slacking Alexander and haven't earned the right to go on a mission. You'll be staying here to train and study real books."

"You can't let Jace and Isabelle go on a mission without me. Something could happen and they could get hurt. They both need me there to keep an eye on them and protect them." "Jace and I can handle this Alec. I think we're old enough to handle ourselves on a mission," Isabelle said shrugging.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You and Jace are always getting into trouble when we go on missions. You can't be trusted to not goof around."

"They will be alright without you Alec. Have some faith in your sister and Parabatai," father said, making me want to roll my eyes. He doesn't go on missions with them so he doesn't see the things I see. Jace and Isabelle can be serious when they want to be but most of the time, they are easily distracted and get themselves into idiotic situations.

"When do we leave," Isabelle asked, smirking at me. "You should leave tomorrow. You'll go through the forest portal to New York and you'll help the Morgensterns' at the Institute for a while."

Isabelle groaned at that, "I'll have to deal with Jace and Jonathan Morgensterns' rivalry? That's really annoying." Valentine and Jocelyn Morgenstern run the Institute in New York and they have two children Clary and Jonathan. Jace is in love with Clary so Jonathan, being the protective brother he is, doesn't think Jace is good enough for her.

"Maybe Alec should go with us," Isabelle said, worry in her voice. "He's the only one who can stop Jace from fighting with Jonathan." Father shook his head no, "Alexander will be staying here. Jace is old enough to handle himself."

Isabelle was right though. Once those two got going there was no stopping them. Half the time I would have to literally drag him out of the room they were in. Isabelle is capable of doing that but not if the fighting gets to a certain point.

"You both have your orders and you will follow them. Am I understood," father asked, looking between us. We both nodded and he nodded back, heading for the door. "You both may head to bed. It's getting late and you both have a lot to do tomorrow."

Isabelle and I stood in silence for a little while before she gave me a one-armed hug and headed to her room. I glanced over at my arrows wondering if I should keep training but decided against it and went to my room.

* * *

After a long hot shower, I lit Witchlight on my bedside table and pulled out my new book. There was a short time when we lived in New York. My parents were the original leaders of the New York Institute but once father became Inquisitor, we all moved to Idris where there is no electricity. It took me a while to get used to reading under the low glow of the Witchlight, but I was used to it now.

"I should get to sleep, but reading one journal entry shouldn't hurt, right?" I bit my lip in excitement, pulling open the book and turning it to the second entry.

 _March 20_ _th_ _, 1815_

 _Today didn't go the way I thought it would. I came to the Accords Hall with the intention of Signing the Accord treaty to symbolize another year of peace. I was to represent the warlocks while my good friends Woolsey Scott, and Camille Belcourt represented the Werewolves and Vampires. There were others there for the Fay and Mermaids but I don't know them personally._

 _The meeting started the same as it always did. We have dinner with the Nephilim and then we start talking about treaty agreements while the Nephilim servants 'discreetly' throw away the plates we Downworlders used, like they were poisoned._

 _Things were peaceful until suddenly, Woolsey stood up and started screaming at the Nephilim. He said that Shadowhunters have been tormenting packs and taking advantage of the Accord laws to hurt them. Of course, the Shadowhunters denied the allegations which caused Camille to also stand up and speak her mind. She claimed that the Shadowhunters were killing Vampires for no reason._

 _I tried to calm everyone down but my pleas fell onto deaf ears. Before I knew it, a fight was breaking out between everyone and by the end of it, there was a seraph blade in Woolsey' chest and Camille was turned to ash._

 _The accords still haven't been signed. With both the Werewolf and Vampire representatives killed, Downworlders are going to want justice. They aren't going to take this lying down and neither am I. Woolsey was my best friend. As for Camille… well let's just say her sudden death pains me deeply._

 _War between Nephilim and Downworlders is sure to break out and I don't know how to feel about it. I warned the Downworlders that the Nephilim are turning against us but they didn't want to believe me. They have no choice to listen, but now it's too late. There are barely any warlocks left in the world._

 _The only Warlocks left are Ragnor Fell, Catarina Loss, Malcom Fade, and myself. Ragnor and Catarina would never be involved in a war. Ragnor doesn't care to fight and Catarina is a nurse so she'd never hurt a fly. As for Malcom… he's not the most reliable person to have work with you during a war._

 _I'm the only magical being left to help the Downworlders and I can't help but feel crushed by that pressure. If my magic isn't good enough, I wouldn't just lose two friends; I would lose all of them and my own life._

 _I don't care about putting my own life in danger but I do worry for my friends. Hopefully, this war doesn't come to pass… but the chances of that are slim._

 _March 20_ _th_ _1815 – M.B_

I closed the book frowning, thinking about everything I just read. Talk of treaties and war, Nephilim killing people who were supposed to be allies? That just sounds so horrible. I know that Warlocks and Downworlders are supposed to be fake but that journal entry… I could feel the fear in their words. Fear, sadness from losing their friends, being all alone yet needing to fight? It's all so much to wrap my head around.

I looked over the initials M.B, running my fingers over it. Who is this M.B? They say they're a warlock but what else? Are they male? Female? Since they call themselves a warlock it must be Male. He seemed to have a romantic relationship with that Camille girl who died. Her death seemed to be the hardest for him to talk about.

For a moment, I considered reading the next journal entry to see if a war did indeed result from the meetings. I have training to do in the morning and will be seeing Jace and Isabelle off on their mission, so I needed sleep.

Sighing, I put the book under my pillow and grabbed the Witchlight, putting it out. If there really was a Downworlder war, there may be secret files in the library. After seeing off Jace and Isabelle I can go and have a mission of my own.

Jace Pov- "It's still so dark outside, why do missions always have to be so early," I whined, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Isabelle nodded in agreement, tiredly braiding her hair half-heartedly. Alec rolled his eyes before grabbing Isabelles hair and properly braiding it.

"This is your first mission without me so you need to be on guard and act responsible. If something goes wrong, make sure to send me a fire message right away and I will come help you. I don't care what dad says."

"Alec relax, will you? Isabelle and I can handle one little mission without you." Isabelle nodded, wrapping her platinum whip around her wrist. "I do wish we didn't have to go through the woods though. It's been raining a lot so I'm sure the woods are super muddy."

"You'll be taking horses so you won't have to walk through the mud. Please tell me you'll be careful while going through the woods and actually look at the map. Don't try to make your way through without it."

We both nodded, rolling our eyes. "Alec, we know where we are going so just relax. We will be home in a couple days. You need to focus on training and not reading fictional books." "I will do whatever I want, thank you very much," he mumbled, crossing his arms.

We both laughed at him before climbing up on our horses. I took on more look at Alec, already missing my Parabatai. Who knows how long we will be in New York so it may be a while before we see each other again. "You take care of yourself Alec. Don't be goofing around."

This caused him to roll his eyes, "when do I ever goof around. Who do you think you're talking to?" I laughed shaking my head before leaving with Isabelle, heading for the woods. She looked back toward Alec before looking at me frowning. "Are you sure we will be able to do this without him? Alec is always with us, we've never had a mission without him before."

"We'll be fine if we keep a cool head," I said, pulling the map out of my saddle bag. She scoffed at that. "You're the one who needs to keep a cool head. I don't want you fighting with Jonathan Morgenstern while we're in New York. Alec is the only one who knows how to separate you two and I don't want to get hurt trying."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," I sighed, grabbing my Witchlight to hold over the map. Maybe leaving so early in the morning was a bad idea. It's dark and I was having a hard time seeing the map even with the light.

The sound of thunder crashed in the sky causing both Isabelle and I to look up. Even in the dark, I could see gray clouds building for a bad storm. "We need to find the waterfall portal before this storm comes."

Isabelle nodded, flicking the wrings on her horse to make it go a little faster. I put the map and Witchlight away before doing the same. It was hard to see the map, so the best bet would be to try to find the waterfall on our own.

We wandered the woods for about an hour. The sun finally rose but the clouds kept it hidden so the lighting wasn't any better. Robert said that it should take us twenty minutes to get to the waterfall. The fact that it's been an hour means we were lost.

"Without Alec for an hour and we're already screwing up," Isabelle groaned, laying her head on the back of her horses' neck. Loud thunder crackled in the sky, causing Isabelles' horse to panic. He stood up on his back hooves causing Isabelle to be thrown off.

I quickly jumped off my horse, catching Isabelle before she could crash into a tree. She thanked me before frowning, seeing her horse run off. "It's okay, we can both ride of my horse," I said assuring her. As I said that, lightning hit a branch, causing it to catch on fire and fall to the ground in front of my horse.

It panicked, backing away and quickly turning around, coming the way it came. Before it ran away though, the saddle bag caught on a branch and broke away from the horse. "The maps going to burn," Isabelle yelled, seeing the fire get closer to the bag.

I quickly got up, going over to the branch and tore the bag off it before it could catch on fire. Backing away, I wondered how we could stop the fire before it destroyed the entire wood grounds.

A little luck seemed to be on our side as rain started pouring down hard, causing the fire to be extinguished. "What should we do now," Isabelle asked, trying to pull her legs out of the mud. I frowned looking around, wondering what Alec would do in this situation.

Just when I was about to start panicking, a castle standing a little way away caught my eye. I stood up shocked, not knowing that someone lived in these woods, let alone someone special enough to have a castle.

"Do you see that castle over there Izzy," I asked, hoping I wasn't going crazy. She struggled to stand next to me but once she got there, her eyes widened in surprise. "I see it. What's a castle doing in Idris? This makes no sense."

"It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. It's a place to shelter us from the rain so we need to find a way inside. Hopefully it's abandoned and we won't be intruding." Isabelle nodded and we both treaded through the mud, making our way to the castle.

When we stood in front of black gates, I took a moment to really look at the castle. It was a black gothic architecture that was reaching for the sky. If the trees didn't hide it, I'm sure we would be able to see it from Alicante.

The air around the building screamed unwelcoming but we had no choice but to try to get in. I hesitantly put my hand on the gate, preparing for it to shock me or something, to my surprise though, it opened without a hitch.

Isabelle and I glanced at each other before going through the gate, running up to the front porch to shield ourselves from the pounding rain. "At least we're out of the rain," Isabelle said, grabbing her braided ponytail and wringing the water out of it.

"Yeah but it's freezing out here. We aren't any better off just standing on the porch." I turned to the double doors in front of me, surprised there weren't any handles to open the door with. "It looks like whoever lived in this castle doesn't want anyone getting in," Isabelle sighed.

"Even so, we need somewhere warm to stay. I'm sure if anyone lives here, they will understand that we need help." Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my stele, putting it to the door and using an unlocking rune. Isabelle frowned, grabbing my arm. "Jace, maybe we shouldn't just break in."

"You're starting to sound like Alec," I laughed, putting the stele back on the door and finishing the rune. After it was finished, it glowed and the door busted open like it was hit by a big gust of wind.

We made our way inside and I quickly closed the door before looking around in awe. The inside was huge, the ground covered in dark red carpet while the spiral staircase was made from white marble. There were huge chandeliers hanging on the ceiling but they were lit so dimly, I almost missed them completely.

"This place is amazing," Isabelle awed, looking around. I nodded not having the words to say. What Shadowhunter owned this place? Did it used to be the Inquisitors home back in the old days?

"I'm just saying that giving me drunk blood was a low blow and you should at least say you're sorry," A voice came from above us. When Isabelle and I looked up, we saw two young men walking down the spiral staircase. They were both very pale but both seemed very different.

One had messy brown hair, brown eyes and a goofy grin on his face. He was also wearing a faded T-shirt that had a mundane cartoon on it. The other guy was a lot neater. He had slick black hair and wore tailored pants and jacket. The shirt under the jacket was a dark red dress shirt that added to the look of class.

"If you were smart, you would have smelled the tainted blood and known to avoid it. It's not my fault you're such an idiota," the classy guy said before looking up, stopping on the steps when he seen us. The goofy guy looked at him confused before looking ahead at us. When he got a good look at us, his face lit up in excitement.

"Raphael, look. Guests! Nephilim guests!" The classy guy, Raphael, glared at us, getting off the steps and in front of us so fast, I didn't even have time to blink. "How did you do that," I asked shocked.

"I'll ask the questions around here. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Isabelle frowned, "we were looking for the waterfall portal and we got lost. It started raining and we stumbled across this castle."

"Well stumble somewhere else. You aren't welcome here, so leave." The other guy frowned, running up to us with the same speed Raphael did. How were they doing that?

"Raphael don't send them away. They're Nephilim, one of them could be the one to-" "No Simon! You know what would happen if he saw them here. They need to leave now." Simon grabbed his arm frowning. "We don't have a lot of time left Rafe. These Nephilim had to come here for a reason. There's two of them so there's a chance he will like one of them."

"Or he will kill them on sight," Raphael yelled making Isabelle and I both flinch. Who were they talking about? Who would want to kill us just for coming here?

"What's going on down here," a female voice asked from another room. She walked into the hallway and stopped in surprise, seeing us. "Nephilim," she said softly. Simon turned to her frowning. "Tessa, tell Raphael that he can't send them away. Magnus needs to meet them."

Magnus? Who was Magnus," I wondered, glancing over at Isabelle. She glanced back at me, also wondering who the mystery man was.

"Tessa, tell Simon that he's crazy and Magnus has given up. The last thing he will want is false hope. I can already tell that he won't fall in love with either of them," Raphael hissed. I put my hands up quickly. "Woah, I'm not gay so whatever match making game you're playing, keep me out of it."

They all looked at me before going back to talking among each other. "You're the deciding vote Tessa. What should we do?" Simon asked. Tessa stroked her chin in thought, strands of her brown hair falling out of her hair bun, making it fall a little bit in front of her face.

"I agree with both of you to an extent," she said causing the other two to start an argument but she held up her hands, silencing them. "I agree that Magnus won't want to see them. However, the weather outside is horrible so we can't just throw them back out there. You can stay until the rain stops."

Isabelle smiled at her, grateful for her help. Simon and Raphael both crossed their arms in irritation, neither seeming to be happy with Tessa's choice. "I think you should at least try," Simon mumbled.

"Stop moping and go make a fire in the sitting room." Simon rolled his eyes, "sure go send the flammable guy to make the fire. I'll go find Ragnor to do it," he said before leaving. What was he freaking out for? Everyone is flammable, he makes it sound like the littlest burn will kill him.

"Ragnor won't listen to you," Raphael called out to him. Tessa hit him on the back, 'he will listen to you though. Go ask Ragnor to make a fire for our gest's. They look frozen to the bone." Raphael walked away, mumbling something about Ragnor not wanting us to be here either.

Tessa shook her head at him before smiling at us. "I'm sorry about them. Come into the sitting room and I'll get you some warm blankets and tea. Would you like something to eat?"

"The blankets and tea should be enough, thank you," I said, walking into the sitting room with Isabelle. We sat on the floor in front of the unlit fireplace and Tessa crossed her arms frowning. "Now where is Ragnor to light this thing?"

"I'm right here," a grumpy mellow voice came from the entryway. I looked back at him and froze in shock seeing he had green skin, white hair, and horns on his forehead. Isabelle was just as shocked, her mouth open like a fish.

"What? Never seen a warlock before," He asked, causing me to frown. "Warlock? Like those fake creatures in Alec's books?" This caused both him and Tessa to frown. "I guess they really did write us out of history," Tessa sighed, walking out of the room to get the tea.

I watched her go before looking back at Ragnor. He swiped his hands around before flicking them at the fireplace, making green flames appear inside it. Isabelle stared at it wide eyed before looking back at him. "How did you do that?"

"It's called magic. You wouldn't know anything about it," he said before walking out of the room. As he walked out, a lady with blue skin and white hair walking into the room. "You should have a checkup. You had to have been in the woods a long time to have found this castle. Even Nephilim can die from hypothermia."

I frowned pulling up the sleeve of my jacket, looking at a bad scrap I got when catching Isabelle. "It's alright, we can heal ourselves with steles. It will work faster than mundane medicine."

"Who said anything about mundane medicine," she asked, grabbing my arm and looking over the cut. "You got some dirt in it. I could easily get infected if left untreated." I was about to pull my stele out but stopped when her hands glowed blue and she it over my cut. The moment the light toughed my skin, the pain started to numb. It was like a stele but without the burn.

Isabelle watched in shock before looking at the girls' face. "Are you healing him with magic?" She nodded, taking her hand away once my arm was all healed. "That's right, I'm a warlock. My name is Catarina Loss. You may have heard about me in history books."

Isabelle and I both glanced at each other silently, causing Catarina to lose her grin. "They took me out of the history books?" "I'm afraid so," I said still confused on what the hell was going on. Alec was so sure warlocks were real and now all of a sudden, we meet two of them.

If Alec was right about warlocks, then what else was he right about? "What other creatures are there in the world," Isabelle asked, reading my mind.

There's all kinds," Tessa said, walking back into the room with a tray of tea. "The two boys you met on the stairs were Vampires. There's also Fairies and werewolves living here as well. All the remaining Downworlders of the world live here in this castle. Sadly there aren't a as many as we once had."

"Wait? Downworlders? Are you telling me that Downworlders are real? My Parabatai reads stories about you but we all just thought he was crazy. You're telling me that he was right all along?"

"We've been here so long that the world completely forgot about us," Simon said walking back in the room, Raphael behind him carrying blankets. Simon took the blankets from him before putting one each around Isabelle and me.

"Why haven't you left if you want the world to know about you," Isabelle asked, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Simon sighed at the question. "Believe me, if I could leave I would have done it a long time ago."

"What do you mean? You can't leave this castle," I asked confused. Raphael glared at Simon, "you're saying too much idiota." Tessa frowned at him before looking at me. "Our situation is… complicated. We all chose to willingly be here but at the time we thought we would be able to leave. That's not the case anymore."

"Is this Magnus person keeping you all prisoner here," I asked frowning. Tessa shook her head no, frowning. "Magnus is the reason we can't leave but it's not him keeping us here. It's… very complicated." "So you've said," I mumbled, not liking being out of the loop of things.

The green flames in the fireplace suddenly went out making the room and a cold chill filled the air. I had a feeling the chill wasn't coming from the extinguished fire. My hunch was answered when a cold angry voice asked "what's going on in here!?"

Isabelle and I turned, looking at the figure standing at the door. He couldn't have been older than nineteen, his skin dark tan and his hair slightly spiked up with some kind of hair jell. He wore tight black skinny jeans with glitter on them and a dark purple short-sleeved top, one of the sleeves draping below his shoulder.

His outfit was far from intimidating but his cat-like eyes were. They were staring into my soul with angry thin slits and the power coming from him was suffocating. You could feel the pressure of it pushing down on you.

"M-Magnus, I thought you were still asleep," Tessa said, standing between him and us. "I felt the wards on the door be broken so I came in investigate. Tell me what two Nephilim are doing in my sitting room. Just because Nephilim have forgotten about our treaty doesn't mean I have. I have the right to kill them for being here."

I got in front of Isabelle, pulling a seraph blade out of my bag and holding it in front of us in defense. If he wanted to try killing us, then I wouldn't go down without a fight. Simon got in front of Tessa frowning. "Magnus please, they're Nephilim. Maybe one of them can be the one to break the spell. Isn't it worth a try to give them a chance?"

Magnus glared at him before looking at Isabelle and me. I glared daggers at him, not letting my guard down. "It would be a waste of time Simon. I don't want either of them." "The glow is already starting to dim. Is this really the time to be picky," Simon asked; sounding desperate. Magnus sent his glare back at the vampire boy.

"It doesn't work that way Simon. I'm not interested in them and they will never be interested in me so drop it." Simon shrank back, moving over to Raphael and Magnus watched him before looking back at us.

"Look, we're sorry that we trespassed on your lands. It was raining and we needed a place to take shelter. We will leave right away," I pleaded, standing up with Isabelle. He scoffed, his cat eyes getting even more intense the longer he looked at us. "That's cute, you think you can leave. Sorry to tell you, but you won't ever be leaving this place again."

This caused Tessa to frown. "Magnus, you said that they weren't the ones. Why keep them here if they aren't of any use to you?" Magnus rolled his eyes, turning his back to us. "Lock them in the dungeon in the top tower. They can rot there just like they let our people rot in their jails."

I gritted my teeth, quickly standing up and running at Magnus, swinging my seraph blade down to stab him in the back. He quickly turned around lifting a finger, using magic to make me stop in place. I struggled to get out of his grasp but to no avail.

A smirk made its way across his face. "Well aren't you a feisty one. Not very smart, are you? If you were, you would have known better than to try to attack me." He flicked his finger, making me go flying into a wall and slamming to the floor.

"Magnus stop! Treating Nephilim like this is the reason this happened in the first place," Simon yelled, but Raphael pulled him out of the room, stopping him from speaking out any further. I sat up, feeling pain shoot up my back from hitting the wall.

"I'll decide what to do with the both of you later, until then get out of my sight." He flicked his hand again and the next thing I knew, Isabelle and I were in a freezing dark room. I couldn't see anything, not even my hand in front of my face.

I reached out in front of me, frowning when I felt bars. "I think we're in a cell." Isabelle reached into her pocket, pulling out her Witchlight making the small space be lit up. All that was around us was stone walls, floors, and bars.

"Should we try to get out with weapons," Izzy asked frowning. I shook my head, "he let us keep our steles and weapons. He wouldn't have done that if there was any way they could help us." She frowned looking at the stone in her hands. "So, what do you do?"

I thought about that for a moment before reaching into my bag, grabbing a piece of paper. "What are you going to with that," she asked watching me. "I'm going to send a fire message to Alec. Hopefully, it will go through and he'll get it."

"Why not send it to my father or the Clave? Alec can't fight that guy by himself." I shook my head, "if any has a chance to find us, it's Alec. Maybe he will know how to deal with these people. He's been spending all this time reading books about them after all."

I pulled a pen out of my bag before starting to write a note.

 _Alec, Isabelle and I are in trouble. We never made it to New York. Instead we found a castle in the middle of the woods and took shelter there. That wasn't a good idea, the owner put us in a dungeon and we have no way of getting out. You were right about everything so please come help us. You may be the only one who can._

I looked the message over before writing a rune on it, watching it burn. Once it was gone, Isabelle frowned at me. "What will we do if Alec can't help us?" I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. "Then we will find a way out ourselves. For now lets' have faith in Alec."

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 **I wanted to wait till Clique was over but I couldn't help but update. I was excited about this chapter. I think it turned out good but I will be looking forward to your opinions. Hope you all liked it :)**


	3. Take me Instead

**Sorry this took so long. I was determined to get Malec week done this year and I managed to get more than usual done so that's something.**

 **Darkparadise994 asked if there was going to be a Gaston character and the answer is yes but also no. See my 'Gaston' isn't someone wanting Alec to love them. My 'Gaston' is Robert Lightwood and his 'Gaston' traits will be coming out a lot in this chapter and in others. I think you'll see why I chose him for the role in time.**

 **Hope you enjoy and hope to hear what you thought of the chapter. All Your reviews have been making me so happy and it helps inspire me so thank you.**

 **Ps. I think I forgot to mention before but this story also has Saphael (Simon x Raphael) Feels like a good opertunity to use that pairing.**

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Malec Tales Series 1: Nephilim and the Warlock (Beauty and the Beast AU)

Chapter 2: Take Me Instead

Alec Pov- "It's still so dark outside, why do missions always have to be so early," Jace whined, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Isabelle nodded in agreement, tiredly braiding her hair half-heartedly. I rolled my eyes before grabbing Isabelles hair and properly braiding it.

"This is your first mission without me so you need to be on guard and act responsible. If something goes wrong, make sure to send me a fire message right away and I will come help you. I don't care what dad says."

"Alec relax, will you? Isabelle and I can handle one little mission without you," Jace complained, rolling his eyes. Isabelle nodded, wrapping her platinum whip around her wrist. "I do wish we didn't have to go through the woods though. It's been raining a lot so I'm sure the woods are super muddy."

"You'll be taking horses so you won't have to walk through the mud. Please tell me you'll be careful while going through the woods and actually look at the map. Don't try to make your way through without it," I sighed.

They both nodded, rolling their eyes. "Alec, we know where we are going so just relax. We will be home in a couple days. You need to focus on training and not reading fictional books." "I will do whatever I want, thank you very much," I mumbled, crossing my arms.

They both laughed at me before climbing up on their horses. "You take care of yourself Alec. Don't be goofing around." This caused me to roll my eyes, "when do I ever goof around? Who do you think you're talking to?" He laughed shaking his head before leaving with Isabelle, heading for the woods.

I watched them go frowning, feeling like they were taking a part of me with them. How could my father do this to me? I've never stayed behind while they went on missions. We're a three-member team and it's always been that way.

Once they were out of sight I let out a sigh, turning around to head back inside, instead running into my father who was standing behind me. "You realize why I have to punish you like this right?" I frowned glancing away from him, not answering.

He let out a deep sigh before running his hand over his face. "Alec, just think about how you're making me feel. Everyone in town keeps asking me what's wrong with you. You won't get any marriage offers if everyone thinks you're crazy."

I scoffed at that, insulted. "I'm not crazy for reading about history." "It's not history Alexander. Vampires, werewolves, and all those other creatures you read about are just fairy tales. It's not right for Nephilim to indulge in fairy tales."

I shook my head, "no dad, I think they really were part of history. I read about a war between Nephilim and Downworlders. We are the ones who wronged them yet they are the ones who paid the price after the war. They were all wiped out and it's all our kinds fault."

My father's fierce angry blue eyes turned on me and I swallowed hard, keeping quiet. He grabbed me by the arm hard, forcing me to flinch a little in pain, and I forced myself to look up at him, meeting his eyes head on.

"Do not delude our ancestry with your idiotic stories. There was no war against Nephilim and these fake creatures. Now I want you to forget all about this nonsense and start focusing on other things. You are weeks away from getting a seat on the council. If you keep going on about these ridiculous stories, the Clave will find you unworthy and not give you a position. If you can't even get on the council, then you will never become Inquisitor."

Glaring up at him, I pulled my arm out of his grip. "I told you that I don't want to be a member of the council and I don't want to be inquisitor. I'm not meant to be a leader father." "You are a Lightwood and that means you have a place. Your place is in the council and becoming an inquisitor."

He turned around, walking away from me but stopped when I yelled, "I want more than this provincial life!"

He looked over his shoulder at me, seeming angry at my outburst. "Provincial? Your life is far from that Alexander. You are a Shadowhunter. There's no way your life could ever be provincial."

"It is. I'm tired of living among narrow minded people who only see what they want to see. You don't even want to consider the chance that there could be more out there. I don't want to stay in Idris for the rest of my life dad. I want to see the world and figure out its secrets. I don't want to be a leader to Nephilim because I know I'm not cut out for it."

"You will be inquisitor someday, end of discussion," he growled before walking away. I watched him go, glaring at his back until he was out of sight. Once I knew he was really gone, I turned away and made my way inside, going to take my stress out with training.

A couple hours later I snuck out of the house making my way to the Idris Archives. The Idris Archives were full of documents that kept record of Nephilim history. If there was anywhere to find proof Downworlders were real, it would be in there. If the journal is correct, and the Shadowhunters were the first to turn on the Downworlders, then maybe they would want to hide something like that from everyone.

I stopped in front of the archives door, surprised that it wasn't guarded. Usually there was at least one Shadowhunter standing by the door to make sure non-council members didn't try to get in. Seeing as I'm not a member of the council, I don't have access to the building.

That would be the only good that comes out of being a member of the council, having all the Claves documents at my fingertips. Honestly though, it's not worth everything else that comes with it. Giving into what my father wants is the last thing I will ever want.

"I don't know why the door is unguarded, but this may be the only chance I get to see the documents. It's worth the risk of getting caught."

Looking around to make sure the coast is clear, I started making my way to the door. The moment I reached for the knob though, flames appeared in front of my eyes. I backed up quickly, thinking it was a trap to guard the door but I calmed down when I saw paper appear in the flames.

Reaching out, I grabbed the paper looking around me before looking back down at it.

 _Alec, Isabelle and I are in trouble. We never made it to New York. Instead we found a castle in the middle of the woods and took shelter there. That wasn't a good idea, the owner put us in a dungeon and we have no way of getting out. You were right about everything so please come help us. You may be the only one who can._

"Castle? Dungeon? What does he mean I was right about everything?" I shook my head turning away from the archives. "That's not important right now. My Parabatai and sister are in trouble and I'm going to go save them."

I hurried back to my house, all thoughts of the Archives and Downworlders left behind. Nothing else mattered if Jace and Isabelle were in trouble. I made my way upstairs to my room and gathered all the things I thought would be useful into my satchel. Seraph Blades, a Witchlight, paper in case I needed to write a fire message myself.

Running to the door to leave, I stopped suddenly, feeling the pull of the journal hiding under my pillow. There was really no point in bringing it with me. It's not like it will help me in any way. Even so, I turned back and grabbed the book, putting it in my bag before heading out the door.

I made my way out of the house, going to the weapons shop that Jace's parents owned and lived in upstairs. If I could get something of Jace's, then I could track him easier through our Parabatai bond. The letter said that they were stuck in a castle in the middle of Idris. I have been in those woods hundreds of times and I've never seen a castle.

Stephan Herondale was standing at the cashier table smiling when I walked in. "Hey there Alec, it's been awhile since you've come in here." "I was here last week actually. Could I go up to Jace's room for a moment? He forgot his favorite jacket and wants me to send it to him somehow. Who knows how long he will be in New York."

Stephan nodded looking back at the newspaper that was sitting on the table. It always surprised me that Idris had a newspaper. It seemed like such a mundane thing. "Go right ahead. You know where his room is."

I nodded before making my way up the stairs to the living area. Once there I went to Jace's room to look for something useful to track with. To my surprise, Jace really did forget to take his favorite leather jacket. He never goes anywhere without that thing.

"Guess it's my lucky day. There's nothing more special to Jace than this jacket. It will make it all the easier to track him." His family ring is a close second, but he never takes that off so I'm sure that's with him.

"Jace, Isabelle, I'm coming for you," I whispered softly before leaving Jace's place and heading to the stables. I saddled up my horse, wondering where in the angels' name, a castle could be hiding in the woods. You'd think that would be noticeable at least to some people.

Grabbing the wrings of my horse, I led him outside where my father was waiting with his hands crossed over his chest, his face angry like always.

"Where do you think you're going Alexander?"

I glanced down at my bag wondering if I should show him the letter. It would be a mistake if I did. He would think I'm playing a trick on him and that I'm just sneaking away to be with Jace and Isabelle in New York.

"I'm taking my horse out for a walk is all. It's been awhile since he's had a chance to stretch his legs." He glanced down at the satchel strapped around me before bringing his gaze back to my eyes.

"What's in the bag?"

I pulled a few arrows out of the bag before holding up the bow that was strapped onto my horse. "I thought I would get in some target practice while I'm at it. Shooting an arrow on horseback isn't easy, so I could use all the practice I can get."

He pondered that for a moment before nodding, moving out of my way. "Try not to be out too late. The sun is starting to set and the woods can be dangerous in the dark." I nodded before setting my bow back on the saddle and climbing onto my horse.

"Don't worry dad, I won't be gone long." I really shouldn't make a promise like that with no guarantee I'll be returning. If Jace and Isabelle managed to get themselves locked up, then the one who locked them up must be strong. Then again, maybe Jace and Isabelle were just goofing off in someone else's territory and got in trouble for it.

Still, the letter sounded like they were in real danger. I shouldn't waist anymore time and focus on finding them.

I pulled out Jace's jacket and drew a tracking rune on it before holding it tight, using the Parabatai bond I have with Jace to make it even stronger. I glowed in my hand and as I closed my eyes, a trail zoomed passed my eyelids. A trail that after a little while, led to a castle.

"Don't worry guys, I'm coming to save you."

Magnus Pov- "Magnus, don't you maybe want to reconsider letting those teenagers go," my closest friend Tessa Gray asked softly. "They are just children. They obviously didn't know about the accords we signed long ago."

I sat in my chair in front of the fire place, staring into the green flames that were starting to dye down. Ragnor lit them hours ago when I walked in on those two trespassers. How dare those Nephilim just barge into my castle like they own the place. Do the accords mean nothing anymore?

Then again, Tessa may be right. About the Accords thing at least. From the frightened look on the blond boys' face when I used magic, he seemed to not know that Downworlders even existed. You can't follow accords that don't exist I guess. Just because they didn't remember them didn't mean I don't remember them.

"They had no right being on my property. Living the rest of their lives in my dungeon is a kind fate compared to what else I could have done to them."

Tessa made her way around my chair before she was in front of me. She sat down on the floor and put her hand on top of mine. Her touch was always so gentle, it made me remember the years long ago when I first met her. It was at the beginning of the war before everything went wrong.

"I know you have a hard time trusting people since the war, especially Nephilim. Not giving someone aid when they needed it is the reason we are all trapped in the castle. Maybe you should look inside your heart and find the sweet caring man you used to be?"

"That 'sweet caring man' watched as all the people he loved were slaughtered. The Nephilim were discreetly killing off warlocks and I warned everyone about it but no one wanted to listen. This entire war could have been avoided if people just listened to me!"

I pulled my hand out of hers before standing up and storming out of the room. Talking about the war always put me in a foul mood. The first thought that always comes to mind when talking about it was how Camille was murdered and turned to ash right in front of my eyes.

The two of us weren't together at the time, and honestly with all the times she's cheated on me with Woolsey, I should have been happy to see them killed. Still, Camille was my first real love and those feelings don't just go away.

I knew Shadowhunters hated us, I knew they threw our plates away when they thought we weren't looking, but I never thought they would turn on us the way they did. Sure, I knew it was a possibility but deep down I was hoping I was wrong. Seems I was far from it.

I made my way to the war wing, trying to calm myself down. I don't know why I bothered going there every time I needed calming, the war makes me anything but calm.

Everyone else was smart enough to avoid me after I locked the Nephilim away. Tessa of course has never really been afraid of me. I could be throwing glass and smashing tables against the wall and she would still come into the room telling me how idiotic I was being.

Simon was definitely on my shit list right now for even letting them pass the door. Raphael must be hiding him from me because I was searching for him a little while ago to scream his ear off and couldn't find him anywhere.

"Today just sucks," I sighed, running my hands over my face before looking toward the balcony. There sitting on the table, concealed in glass was the cursed glowing rainbow rock that has been haunting me every day for the past ninety-nine years.

The moment Asmodeus gave me that blasted Witchlight I could feel it's angelic power push down on me like a huge weight. The color has faded little by little with time but still had plenty of color left. If I had to estimate when it will turn white, it would be half a year.

That doesn't give me much time to fall in love. Why did it have to be specifically Nephilim? Why couldn't I just fall in love with anyone? There's no possible way I will ever fall in love with A Shadowhunter. Especially if my only choices are between the blonde idiot and the feisty girl.

I sighed going to my bed and sitting down, running my hands through my hair. I closed my eyes and when I did, familiar black hair and blue eyes filled my vision. My eyelids snapped open at the memory of one of the only Nephilim I've ever trusted.

His name was William Herondale and he was Tessa's Shadowhunter husband. Tessa may be a Warlock but she's also half Nephilim and didn't even know she was part warlock until before the war began. Because his wife was in danger, William did everything in his power to assist Downworlders in the war. Both him and his Parabatai James Carstairs. They were the only Shadowhunters I have ever and will ever trust.

It also didn't hurt that William had the blue eyes and black hair combo that I'm crazy about. If he was gay, I would have been all over that like cake. Sorry Tessa, I want what I want. It's sad that I will never have a chance to have my special blend.

There was a knock on my door making me growl low in my throat. "What is it? I don't want to be disturbed."

The door opened and Ragnor was standing there in all his green skinned glory. A part of me was disappointed that it wasn't Simon or Raphael. I was really itching to chew one of their heads off. Ragnor was the one who came and told me about the intruders so I can't be mad at him.

"What do you want Ragnor? Can't you see I'm busy brooding," I mumbled irritably.

"I'm sure you're doing a great job at it Magnus but I must inform you that there is another intruder in the castle. I believe he's allied with the ones from earlier and has come to rescue them."

I groaned rubbing my eyelids tiredly. Of course, one of them sent out a fire message for help. I thought it would be okay to leave them their steles since the bars are rune proof but I didn't take fire messaging into account. The question is though, why only send for one person? He could have contacted the Clave if he wished.

"Maybe he thought they wouldn't believe him," I answered myself before shaking my head. "I'm really getting tired of this Ragnor. Where in the castle is he located?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, his face blank but still a little concerned. If I had to take a guess, it was because he was worried about my reaction. "Simon Lewis was the first to find him. He hasn't made contact with the boy but he is leaving clues that's leading him to the tower. I imagine it will take him three more minutes to get there."

I yelled up to the ceiling feeling rage consume me. "I swear if that stupid vampire wasn't a daylighter, I would hold him out the window as the sun was rising and watch him burn nice and slow until he was nothing but ash!"

"You and I both know that you wouldn't have it in you to kill anyone in this house. They may annoy you but they are still your family. If we all followed our instincts to kill people who annoy us, I would have killed you centuries ago," Ragnor commented, shrugging.

"Gee Thanks," I sighed before shaking my head. "Simon is a child so I can't blame him for helping the Nephilim. He got turned soon after the war ended and the Accords were being agreed upon. He never saw the terror of war. Raphael has though and I expect him to know better."

"Actually, Raphael has been trying to convince him to stop helping the new intruder. Of course, telling Simon Lewis not to do something is close to impossible. Not even his boyfriend can stop him when it comes to his stubbornness."

"More like foolishness." I shook my head before heading to the door. "I'll take the secret staircase to the tower and get there before the intruder. Luckily, I have an extra cell with his name on it."

I grabbed a torch hanging in the hallway, making the wall open and a hidden staircase appear. I started making my way up it, Ragnor following behind me. "You know I hate to agree with that brat Simon on anything, but maybe you should listen to him just this once. There are three Nephilim here and the likelihood of that happening again are slim. This could be the only chance to break the curse."

I stopped a step ahead of him, turning back to stare at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I never would expect this from you Ragnor."

He shrugged. "Well excuse me Magnus but I would like to keep my soul. I want to leave this castle and see how much the world has changed without us. Don't you want the same?"

"Of course, I do! You don't think I'm tired of looking at these same walls every day for almost a thousand years? At least you could leave and see the world before the curse. I have been trapped here making sure our kind were really safe from any Nephilim threats."

Ragnor frowned at that. "If you weren't so paranoid that the Nephilim would go back on the accords, maybe you would have been able to leave."

The Accords gave us a small list of places we were allowed to go. I didn't trust that the Nephilim wouldn't attack us once we got to those places; or worse, they would attack the castle and whoever was inside the moment I was gone.

"Just consider this new Shadowhunter as an option. Try not to be too picky and actually give it a chance. I know, how about when we get to the tower we stay in the shadows for a little bit? We'll watch the intruder for a while and decide if they're worth trying with? How does that sound?"

I thought about it, wanting to object right away but sadly, Ragnor was right. There was barely half a year left before the Witchlight would turn white. If I don't fall in love with a Shadowhunter by then, I and all my friends lose our souls. Everything I've done to protect them will have been for nothing.

"Fine. I will stay in the shadows and watch the Shadowhunter for a little bit. I can't promise that I'll like them though," I mumbled, going up the rest of the stairs. Ragnor smiled slightly, following me. "All I ask is that you try."

We made our way to the top of the tower and I put out the torch before silently moving into the shadows. Ragnor stayed next to me, looking around the room for the intruder. "Seems we got here before he did," he whispered.

The tower door opened and we both went silent, watching as a cloaked figure holding a lit torch walked in the room. Their hood was up so I couldn't see their face. From the form of their shoulders though, it was safe to say they were male.

"Jace, Isabelle, are you in here," He asked.

I had to admit he had a nice voice. It was a little husky yet smooth. I wouldn't mind listening to that voice every day. Haven't even seen his face and I'm already liking him. Him being Nephilim outweighs his sexy voice unfortunately.

"Alec? Alec we're over here," the blond yelled. I'm guessing he's the one named Jace. He didn't really look like an Isabelle.

The boy ran over to the cell, dropping to his knees and setting the torch on the floor. The torch made a little light reflect off his face but I still could only see his chin and mouth. He had nice lips. Full and kissable. Way better than Jace's mouth which didn't seem to know how to shut up.

The girl reached through the bars, taking the boys hand, squeezing it. "Alec, you have to get us out of here. This isn't just any castle. It's magic!"

"What do you mean by magic," the boy asked before shaking his head. "Never mind that. I have to find a way to get you out of here."

He pulled his bag close to him, rummaging through it until he pulled out his stele. Of course, the stele is the first thing all Nephilim grab for. Seems that hasn't changed.

He went to put it to the bars but Jace put his hand over his stele, stopping him. "It won't work Alec. These bars are rune proof. So are the walls. There's no way to make an unlocking rune."

Alec pursed his lips in thought before grabbing the edge of his hood, pulling it down and revealing his full face. He had a look of concentration on his face. His piercing blue eyes focused on the bars.

I took in a sharp breath at the sight of him. For a moment, I thought I was looking at William Herondale. That was impossible though. Tessa and I both watched the Clave murder him right in front of our eyes. Besides, this boy was clearly named Alec, not Will.

He may have looked like Will at first glance but once I took the time to actually look at him, I noticed huge differences. Unlike Will, this boy seemed to have innocence to him. His blue eyes were defiantly fierce but they also held gentleness.

"He has the blue eyes and black hair that you used to gush about. Is that still your fetish," Ragnor asked making me glare at him. "I wouldn't call it a fetish. It's more of a preference."

Thinking, I looked at the boy again wondering if I've watched him long enough. "Time to put on a show," I mumbled before coming out of the shadows. Ragnor stayed in place, watching silently.

Alec grabbed the torch, standing up and looking around the room for something to help him out. When he turned around he came face to face with me, causing him to drop the torch in surprise. The coldness of the floor extinguished the flame making the room dark once again.

"Who's there," he asked looking around in the dark. He couldn't see me but I could see him clearly with my cat eyes. They allowed me to see in the dark. He was trying to look unafraid but his blue eyes told me everything. He was secretly terrified of the unknown.

I must admit, it was kind of cute.

"Answer me," he yelled, his voice strong and fearless. You would have never guessed that he was scared right now. The making a of true warrior I see. Let's hope he isn't like the rest of them.

"You're trespassing on my grounds Shadowhunter. It seems your kind no longer has respect for others property."

He frowned at my voice, looking ahead at me since talking to him gave away where I was standing. "I came for my sister and Parabatai. I'm sorry they intruded on your castle but I'm sure there was a good reason."

"They got lost in the woods and stuck in the rain," I answered simply.

"Well I think that's a good enough reason. They were just trying to find shelter from the rain. They didn't mean any harm so can you please let them go?"

"Sorry but that's not really an option. What will that say about me if I just let my prisoners go without learning their lesson? Life in this cell seems like a reasonable punishment to me."

I turned my back to him wondering how I should trap him here. I could just lock him up for also trespassing on my lands but something tells me that wouldn't make him love me. Honestly, I still don't even know if I can make myself love him.

"So, all you want is a prisoner to pay for what they did," he asked, perking my interest. I turned back to him crossing my arms over my chest. "That's right. They need to be punished and I intend to carry out that punishment for as long as possible."

Alec bit his lip before looking down at his shoes, thinking hard about something. I watched him wondering what he was planning. Was he going to try to leave and bring reinforcements? That wouldn't be a smart move on his part. I would stop him before he even got to the tower door.

The storm clouds moved in the sky, uncovering the full moon, making it's light shine inside the tower. Alec was surrounded by the light but I was still hidden in the shadows so he still couldn't see me.

He looked up back from his feet, his intense blue eyes back in my direction. The fear that I detected before was no longer there. Now, all I saw was determination. That, combined with the light of the moon sent shivers down my spine. This boy truly was beautiful.

"Take me instead," he declared making everyone in the room look at him in complete shock. Even I was looking at him like he was crazy. I was expecting to trick him into staying here somehow but I never thought he would volunteer. Who in their right mind would do that?

"Alec no! You can't stay here forever, you need to become Inquisitor," Jace yelled, grabbing the bars so tight, his knuckles turned white. The mention of being Inquisitor made the blue-eyed beauty tense up slightly.

"I'm not fit to have the role anyway. You both are better Shadowhunters than me. We can't afford to lose you so I will sacrifice myself on your behalf."

"Alec, you don't understand!" The girl, I'm guessing is Isabelle, yelled. "This man is a monster! Who knows what he will do to you if you're his prisoner!"

Being called a monster was insulting but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. Nephilim used to call me a monster every chance they got during the war. I wouldn't expect that to change after a thousand years.

Alec looked at them before looking back at me questioningly. Guess it's time to show him what he's offering to spend the rest of his life with.

I stepped into the moonlight, smirking down at the shorter man as he took me in with his eyes. A blush appeared on his cheeks when he looked at my chest and torso. As his eyes drifted up, his eyes meeting my own, his flush vanished and was replaced with a pale, terrified face.

I'm sure seeing a man with cat eyes was a lot to take in when you first see it. The terror in his eyes though stung a bit. He blushed first though, so there was still a tiny shred of hope.

I crossed my arms again, still smirking at him. "Do you still wish to take their place?

I was expecting him to back away in fright and start begging to take back what he said. That's what any sane person would have done when faces with a powerful being such as myself. To my surprise though, he didn't back away.

He looked back down at his feet, swallowing hard and clenching his fists. He was scared, you could tell by his tense body language. All he wanted was to turn around and run from me. Licking his dry, cracked lips, he looked back up at me, once again having determined eyes.

This boys' emotions were like a light switch. They turned on and off in seconds without any warning. It was charming in a weird way.

"Yes. If you promise to let my sister and Parabatai go, then I swear to take their place. I'll stay here for the rest of my life if that's what you wish. Just please let them leave."

"Alec no," Jace yelled but I ignored him.

"How will they learn their lesson if you're the one learning it for them," I asked, not wanting to agree so soon. I wanted to see how dedicated he was to them.

"They will lose me. That's how they will learn their lesson. My sister will live without her big brother and Jace will no longer have his Parabatai at his side."

That did seem like a good punishment. They still learn their lesson and I get to keep blue eyes. It's a win, win for me.

Thinking it over a moment more, I looked over at Ragnor saying "prepare a portal." Ragnor nodded turning to the wall he was standing by and getting started. I waited for the green magic hole to appear before making my way passed, Alec and to the cell. I used magic to unlock it before picking Isabelle up over my shoulder and grabbing Jace by his arm, dragging him out of the cell.

Alec seemed mesmerized by the portal at first but the moment I took his loved ones out of the cell, he tried to walk up to them to say goodbye. I swished my wrist, making a magical barrier appear in front of him, keeping him separated from them.

He backed up in surprise when the barrier appeared and as I stepped in front of the portal, he slammed his hands against it hard. "What are you doing to them!?" He yelled terrified for them. I looked back at him over my shoulder. "I'm using a portal to send them to New York. That's where they were originally headed, correct?"

Alec slammed his fists against the magic wall again, sadness taking over his features. "Let me say goodbye! I'm never going to see them again! The least you can do is let me tell them goodbye!"

Jace struggled in my grip, trying to get away from me but is was useless. I was using magic to keep him still. Isabelle kicked and thrashed on my shoulder, punching me in the back as if it was supposed to hurt. It didn't.

"Sorry, but none of you are going to get any goodbyes."

Jace gritted his teeth, glaring up at me before looking back at Alec. "We'll come back for you alright? I swear to the angel that we will save you!"

I rolled my eyes, finding his declaration irritating. "Good luck with that," I grumbled before throwing them both in the portal. Alec screamed their names as they went through and the moment the portal vanished, he fell to his knees. He looked down at the stone floor, his fists clenched tightly.

"You couldn't give me a minute to say goodbye to them? They're the most important people in my life and you didn't even let me say goodbye." He glared up at me, tears stinging at the corner of his eyes.

"You really are a monster," he seethed.

I let his words roll off my back like all the others. He was in a state of shock and heartache so I can't really blame him for name calling. Still, him saying that doesn't make him any different from the other Nephilim.

"You can think what you like about me. It doesn't really matter." Actually, it did matter. It mattered a lot. This Shadowhunter sitting at my feet was our last hope to stay alive. If I couldn't fall in love with him… then there's no one I could fall for.

"We should give him a proper room," Simons whispering voice lingered into my ear. I turned my head and sure enough, he was standing there with a big smile on his face. I couldn't decide on wither I wanted to strangle him for helping the intruders earlier, or thank him for leading this sexy blue-eyed hunk to them.

"He's a prisoner. Why would I give him his own room?"

Simon rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. "Do you really think he will learn to like you if he's always in a cell? Unless he comes down with Stockholm Syndrome, I don't think he will love you if he's locked away."

"Sadly, I must agree with Simon on this one Magnus," Ragnor agreed, walking up to us. We were all talking in hushed voices so Alec wouldn't be able to hear us. "Instead of treating this one like a prisoner, may I suggest treating him like a guest. Give him his own room and give him places to explore. Once he's comfortable here, then he might learn to be comfortable with you."

I thought about that for a moment before looking back at Alec. He was once again looking at the floor, his blue eyes hidden behind his shaggy black hair.

"… get up. I'll show you to your room," I sighed, grabbing a new torch and lighting it.

Alec looked up from the floor in confusion. "What do you mean 'my room'? I thought I was here to take their place? You said they were going to live in these cells for the rest of their lives so shouldn't I do the same?"

I watched him for a moment, wondering if he was crazy. Here I am, offering him a nice comfy room and he suggests staying in the cell? He's taking this 'being my prisoner' thing too seriously.

I shrugged, walking toward the tower door Alec used before. "That's fine with me. I was thinking that you did a noble thing so I would treat you a little better than I treated them. If you insist on staying in the tower then by all means; stay up here."

I started going down the stairs and both Ragnor and Simon followed me frowning. "Are you really going to make him stay up here," Simon asked, looking back frowning. I rolled my eyes at him before looking ahead again.

"Just give it a second. He'll follow us soon enough."

Not even three seconds after I said that, I could hear Alec's quick steps coming down the stone steps. I stopped and looked back, waiting for him to catch up. When he did catch up, he had to grab onto the wall to stop himself from running into us. He seemed surprised that we were waiting for him.

"I thought you would see things my way," I chided, smirking at him. His blue eyes turned intense as he glared at me but he didn't say a word. We made our way off the stairs and in the hallway leading to the rooms. I can't believe I'm giving a Shadowhunter his own room in my castle.

An elbow went into my side and I glared at who did it, not even surprised that it was Simon. I swear, he's pushing his luck with me today. "What?" I snapped in a harsh whisper. He rolled his eyes at me before nudging his head toward the Nephilim who was once again looking at the floor.

"Make conversation with him. Find out his likes, his dislikes. Get to know him and earn his trust."

Ragnor rolled his eyes at that. "Sure, Magnus just tore him from his family forever and took him as a prisoner, but let's ask him what his favorite color is and what he likes to do on his spare time. We don't need to rush this Simon. Give the boy time to get adjusted."

I looked between them both before looking back at Alec once again. When I saw he was no longer walking with us, I stopped instantly, making Ragnor and Simon run into me. "What the hell Magnus?" Simon complained.

"The Nephilim is gone," I hissed before quickly turning around and heading back where we came. Was he going to sneak out of here and break his vow? That was so much like Nephilim, making promises and not keeping them.

To my surprise, when I found him, he wasn't trying to run away anywhere. He was standing by the staircase to the War Wing, looking up at the painting hanging up on the wall once the stairs end. It was a huge, wide painting of a swarm of Nephilim, overpowering only a handful of Downworlders.

Glaring, I made my way over to him and grabbing him by the wrist, yanking him hard and making him flinch in surprise. He looked up at me meeting my eyes as I kept glaring darkly at him. "You are not allowed up there. If I see or hear that you went there, I will kill you. Do you hear me?" I hissed coldly.

Alec stared at me in silent for a moment before glaring back at me and taring his arm out of my grip. I gestured for him to go in front of me this time and he started walking, crossing his arms over his chest while he did so.

Once we finally got to the bedroom wing, we stopped in front of the door and I opened it for him. He walked in, glancing around at the queen-sized bed, floor to ceiling windows, and wardrobe that made up the room.

The faint sound of a stomach growling hit my ears and after a moment, I realized it was coming from Alec. My suspicion was confirmed when he wrapped his arms around his waist frowning.

Simon smiled from ear to ear, delighted by Alec's hunger for some reason. He looked at me whispering, "He's hungry. You should invite him to have dinner with you."

This boy hasn't said a word to me since we left the tower. If he was giving me the cold shoulder, then dinner would just be long and awkward. Even so, I needed to get the ball rolling if there was any chance I could fall for this guy.

"You must be hungry. Dinner will be done in fifteen minutes. You should join me," I offered watching him.

He turned to me, looking as if I was crazy before he glared once again. Those blue eyes weren't as cute when they were always glaring.

"I rather die of starvation then eat with the likes of you," he seethed.

A pang hit in my chest and I could feel anger boiling up inside me. Here's another Nephilim who think's their too good for me. Is the thought of eating dinner with a warlock really that disgusting? It's not like I'm going to poison him!

"Is that so? Well if it's starving you want, then it's starving you'll get." I turned to Simon and Ragnor glaring. "You heard him. He wants to starve to death. Make sure everyone knows that he is not to be fed unless he eats with me. If I find out that any of you have given him even a crumb of food, you'll be punished. Am I understood?"

Simon frowned at me, looking sad and Ragnor just nodded, his expression blank as always. I turned back to Alec smirking. "If you want to do this the hard way then let it be. I hope you know that I never lose. I could make your life a living hell if I wanted to."

With that I turned and walked out of the room, leaving the Nephilim and his angry blue eyes alone to starve.

* * *

 **Let the battle begin! I wonder who will fall first? Who do you think will win the award for most stubborn?**


	4. Be Our Guest

Malec Tales Series 1- The Nephilim and the Warlock (Beauty and the Beast AU)

Chapter 3: Be Our Guest.

Alec Pov- I looked around my new bedroom, wondering what I got myself into. The only thing on my mind was saving Jace and Isabelle. I was willing to do anything to get them out of here, even take their place. When the words 'take me instead' came out of my mouth I only half meant it.

I didn't want to be trapped here forever but I rather I be here than Jace and Isabelle. They are both important Shadowhunters. Losing them would hurt the world. Losing me won't affect a single thing. I guess if there was one thing that would go wrong, the next Inquisitor wouldn't be a Lightwood.

"It's not like I wanted to be Inquisitor anyway," I mumble to myself, plopping down on the bed. Dust floats up in the air, proving that this room hasn't been used in a long time. The master of this castle doesn't seem like a sociable person so it's not really that surprising.

Thinking about the man who trapped me here, I couldn't help but remember his eyes. They were the kind I've never seen on another person before. Gold with a ring of green around it, a slit in the middle like a cat. No human could possibly have eyes like those.

Frowning, I thought back to when he sent Jace and Isabelle away. A Man with green skin walked up to the wall and made a swirling green hole appear there somehow. The castle owner threw them through it before it vanished from existence. If I didn't know better… I would think it was magic.

There was a knock on the door, taking me out of my thoughts. "Who is it," I asked, my voice containing more spite than necessary. I can't help it though. The last thing I want to do is talk to that guy again.

The door opened half way and a head of brown scruffy hair poked in through it. It was one of the boys that showed me to my room a few minutes ago. He appeared to be a couple years younger than me and he wore blue jeans and a faded T-shirt with some mundane superhero logo on it. How did he even get something like that while living in Idris?

"Your name is Alec, right? It's nice to meet you. My name is Simon Lewis and I'm here to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible. Are you hungry? Your belly was growling so I bet you are."

"The master of this castle said that I wasn't allowed to eat anything as long as it's not with him. I refuse to eat with him though so it looks like I'll just starve."

Simon raised a confused eyebrow at that. "Do you always do what you're told?"

An embarrassed flush appeared on my cheeks as I glanced away from him. "Well… um… yeah."

He rolled his eyes smiling, "oh, you don't have to listen to stuffy old Magnus. He's just stubborn and thinks he can snuff you out of this room by starving you."

"Magnus? Is that what his name is?" He never told me what his name was so I've just been calling him the master of the castle.

"Yep that's his name. Now, Tessa told me that there was no way she could sit by and watch you starve. So, she has a secret dinner for you made downstairs. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the dining room."

I got off the bed, watching him skeptically. "I thought he told you that you'll be punished if you feed me. Why are you risking him being mad at you?"

Simon shrugged, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me out the room and down the hallway. "Magnus can be scary when he's mad but I don't take him so seriously. He loves us all too much to do anything to us. Especially Tessa."

"Is Tessa his girlfriend or something," I asked, looking around the halls. There were paintings lined up on the walls that seemed to be centuries old. Everything about this castle so far looked like it's ancient. All but the people who live in it.

Simon burst out laughing at my question, shaking his head. "No way. Tessa and Magnus are nothing close to a couple. They have just been together forever and have been through some hard stuff. Magnus helped Tessa get over the death of her husband."

I frowned at that. "She lost her husband?"

He nodded, making his way down the stairs, forcing me to go with him since he was still pulling me by my wrist. Normally someone this scrawny wouldn't be able to pull me so easily but he was surprisingly strong.

"She has but Magnus doesn't like us talking about it around her. If she brings it up it's okay but if we bring it up, Tessa usually gets sad."

We got off the staircase and he yanked me down a long hallway. As we went we passed the front door and a part of me wondered if I should try to make a run for it. I'm not one who breaks their promises but maybe I could make an exception this once?

I shook that thought out of my head the moment it appeared. If I went back on my word, that Magnus guy could hunt Jace and Isabelle down and force them back here. This was all for the safety of my sister and Parabatai. There was no way I could back out now.

Sighing, I looked down at Simons arm that was connected to my wrist. Besides the fact that his skin was super pale, it was also completely rune free. It's impossible for mundanes to be here in Idris so what the hell was he?

"Are you mundane?" I asked, too curious not to.

He laughed again shaking his head. "Of course I'm not a mundane. Mundanes can't live in Idris."

"You're Nephilim then?"

"Nope."

"Then what are you," I asked, beyond confused now.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a vampire. You know, drinking blood, fast running, can't be out in the sunlight? Then again, I'm not a good example when it comes to the sunlight thing. I'm a daylighter so I can go outside all I want. At least out to the garden anyway."

"Daylighter?" Shaking my head, I stopped in my tracks, making Simon stop as well. "Hold on a second. You said you're a vampire? As in a Downworlder vampire?"

He nodded smiling, "so Shadowhunters know about us after all? We thought you all forgot since Your sister and Parabatai didn't know what we were. That Jace guy looked like he was going to throw up when he saw Magnus use magic."

"Magic? Vampires aren't able to use magic."

"Not all of us are vampires. The only vampires in the castle are my boyfriend Raphael and me. The rest are faeries and warlocks."

That caught my attention. "Warlocks? There are warlocks here?"

He nodded, "Magnus is a warlock. One of the most powerful in the world. He claims to be the oldest warlock alive but Ragnor said he was older."

"Ragnor? You mean the green guy who sent Jace and Isabelle away?"

He nodded, turning around and starting to walk again. "That was called a portal. Warlocks can make them to let anyone go anywhere. I promise you that it went to New York."

"We have two portals in Idris. One by the waterfall in the woods and another in the Accords Hall. I never knew how they got there. Actually, I've never thought about where they could have come from. They were always there."

"Magnus made them. Before the war started Magnus oversaw making portals for Nephilim when they needed them. He never had a chance to take them down since he was so busy getting this castle made."

Talk of the war grabbed my interest. We stopped in front of two big double doors and I moved in front of him, looking him in the eye. "Hold on a second. Are you telling me that the Nephilim, Downworlder war really happened? It's not just a story?"

Simon looked at me seeming a little surprised by my reaction. "How do you know about the war? I thought Downworlders were erased from your history?"

"They were," I answered, not bringing up the journal. The journal could be my lifeline to survive here. If I tell them about it, they may take it away. "I just heard a rumor about it once and thought it was fake."

Simon watched me skeptically for a moment before shrugging and pushing the doors open. "Magnus waited for you to change your mind and eat with him but when you didn't show up, he got moody and went to his room. He should be in there for the rest of the night so you should be all good to eat."

He grabbed my wrist again, pulling me in the room. I followed him, not really having a choice. "What do Downworlders normally eat? Will I be forced to eat a mouse or drink blood?"

Simon laughed again. It seemed everything I said made this guy laugh. "We have normal food you know. Warlocks eat the same things that you do. So, do the fay but they do also have their own kind of food. Do not, under any circumstances eat the faeries food. It will make you lose your mind and may even melt your brain."

"I'll… keep that in mind?" I really didn't know how to answer that.

He nodded. "Enough talk about the war and downworlder stuff. We need to get some food in your stomach and Catarina wanted to give you a checkup. You must have been in the woods for a while if you managed to find this castle."

"I used Jace's jacket to track him. The longest it took me was two hours at most." I said shrugging.

"You're lucky you weren't out there at night. Demons are everywhere in the forest when the sun goes down."

"I'm a Shadowhunter. I could easily defend myself against a demon. At least I could if Magnus hadn't taken away all my weapons."

Magnus took my bow and arrows away from me. It took everything I had not to rip his head off since I don't like anyone touching my bow.

"You say there are demons out at night but this is Idris. There aren't supposed to be demons in Idris. The wards protect us from them."

Simon shook his head walking into the dining room, this time not pulling me with him. Even so, I followed him looking around. There was a long wooden table that stretched out through half the room. Normal chairs surrounded the table but a big chair that almost looked like a throne sat at the end. If I had to take a guess, I would say that was Magnus's chair.

"The wards don't reach the woods surrounding the castle. The demons would be able to attack us if Magnus wasn't protecting us with wards of his own. He can only reach it around the castle though. The woods, and even the garden are still dangerous."

Simon stood at the throne chair and pulled it out for me. I looked around confused before looking back at him.

"I'm sorry do you want me to sit there?"

He nodded, "that's right so take a seat."

"Isn't this Magnus's chair? If he sees me sitting in it then I have a feeling I'll be killed."

"He'll kill me before he kills you," Simon shrugged like it was no big deal. I think the possibility of a powerful warlock killing you would scare any sane person.

Sighing, I sat in the chair, surprised by how comfortable it was. Simon smiled at me before walking away, going through some swinging doors.

The fact that he left me alone made me feel a little nervous. What if Magnus came out of his room and finds me in here?

It's not like I'm afraid of Magnus or anything. I mean sure, he's an all-powerful warlock who could kill me with the flick of his wrist. That scares me a bit but I can't let that show. I didn't even know Downworlders were truly real until about an hour ago. I wasn't mentally prepared for this situation.

The swinging doors opened again and this time a young lady with brown hair and light skin walked up to me with trays of food in her hands. She walked up to the table, setting one of the trays down, not looking at me.

"It's nice to meet you Alec. I'm sorry Magnus tried to starve you but I cooked all kinds of meals for you. Just take your pick and dig in."

I smiled looking at her, "thanks but I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

She shook her head, "oh don't worry about me getting in trouble. Magnus would never-"

She stopped talking and dropped the tray that was in her other hand, onto the floor. Her face was pale and eyes were wide as she stared at me, in what must have been shock.

"Um… are you okay," I asked looking down at the food now scattered on the floor. I was forced to look back at her when she grabbed my face and looked deep into my eyes.

"Will… William is that you?" She shook her head frowning. "This is impossible. I watched you be executed by the clave during the war. You and Jem both were killed for helping Magnus and I. How is it possible that you're here?"

I pulled away from her grasp frowning. "I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Alec not Will. Alexander Lightwood."

She looked confused. "Alexander Lightwood? Cecily and Gabriel's son? That's also impossible. He had to have died years ago."

"No, my parents are Robert Lightwood and Maryse Trueblood. I think I was named after that Alexander though. Dad said it was a family name."

"So… you aren't a Herondale?"

I shook my head no. "As far as I know, no."

The swinging doors opened again and a woman with blue skin and white hair walked in, looking down at the food scattered on the floor. "Oh my, what happened here?" She looked up at me, looked at Tessa before nodding. "Never mind, I can take a guess what happened."

She swiped her hand and blue sparks came from her finger, going down to the food and picking it up, off the floor and onto the table as if it never fell in the first place.

"Please be careful Tessa. You know I hate using magic for anything that isn't medical related."

Tessa crossed her arms. "Well then I take it you don't use your magic a lot. Seeing as the people in this castle rarely ever get sick."

I looked between them wondering if I should speak but I chose just to be quiet instead. The blue girl turned to me with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Alec. My name is Catarina and I'm here to give you a check-up."

"I told Simon that a check-up wouldn't really be necessary. I was only in the woods for a couple hours and I wasn't injured."

She waved a dismissive hand in my face before pulling my chair away from the table and turning me to face her. "Having a check-up from a warlock is a rare occurrence. You should feel grateful."

"At least let him eat first," Simon said coming out of the kitchen with more trays in hand. "He looks like he's starving."

"He's supposed to be starving. That's the point of Magnus telling us not to feed him," a grumpy looking Hispanic boy grumbled, following Simon. He couldn't have been older than fifteen but the mature way he spoke made me think that he was much older.

He glanced over at me and gasped when he saw where I was sitting. His shocked face turned to a furious one as he turned on Simon. "Why is he sitting in Magnus's chair? Did you tell him to sit there?"

Simon only answered with a sheepish grin and the boy pinched the rim of his nose in silence.

"I can get up and sit somewhere else," I said starting to stand up but Catarina pushed me back down. "It's no big deal. Magnus will be in his room most of the night so he won't find out about it. That is, if Ragnor doesn't find out about it. He always tells on us."

Catarina's hand glowed bright blue as she slowly lowered it over my body head to toe. It made me feel a little like I was being scanned. That's because she was. When she was done, she knew everything about me. My height, weight, blood type. Everything.

"Well you were right, about not being sick. You do have signs of being overly stressed. Some nice warm tea should make you feel better."

"Of course he's stressed. He was just ripped apart from his family and is never going to see them again," the Hispanic boy hissed. "What person wouldn't be stressed from that?"

"You don't have to remind him of everything that happened Raphael," Simon sighed, pushing me closer to the table again. He opened the lids on the trays of food, showing all kinds of delicious looking meals.

"Eat as much as you want. It's been so long since we've been able to make this much food. It would be a shame to let it all go to waist."

I looked at all of it before looking back at him. "There is no way I can eat all of this."

Tessa smiled sweetly at me, pouring me a cup of tea and gently placing it down next to my plate. "You don't have to eat it all. Just eat as much as you want.

"well... I am pretty hungry" I say looking down at the options. There was soup, salad, chicken, pork, even lamb which is my favorite.

Deciding on the lamb, I start to use my fork to put some on my plate, but am stopped by Simon who takes my fork and piles it on for me.

"You have people to do that for you Alec. You won't need to lift a finger while living here."

I watched him frowning before looking at Raphael. "Are all of you Magnus's servants?"

It was Tessa who gave me an answer. "No we aren't but we figured Magnus has done so much for us. The least we can do is take care of him and make him feel comfortable dispite our... situation."

"What situation would that be" I asked confused.

"We're not in libirty to say" Raphael pressed, stopping anyone else from saying anything. "Magnus's buisness is his own and unless he tells you himself what happened, you don't need to know about it."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Don't mind my boyfriend. He thinks he's the boss of all of us but he's not."

That surprised me a little. Sure, he mentioned before that he had a boyfriend but I didn't think much of it at the time. Now it's shocking to me.

One: Because this guy seems way out of Simons league.

Two: Being, same sex relationships wasn't allowed with Shadowhunters, so I assumed that applied to every kind.

I can't even count all the times I wished I had a boyfriend. My dad wants me to marry a girl from a strong Shadowhunter family but the thought just makes my stomach churn.

I looked at the others. "What do you think about them being together?"

Catarina sighed crossing her arms over her chest. "they bicker like fools every day but they also compliment each other nicely. If only they both knew how to be quiet."

"Hey!" Both Simon and Raphael yelled making the others laugh.

"That's not what i meant" I said, trying to resist the erg to laugh with them. "They are both guys. How do you feel about watching two guys be together."

Tessa shrugged, "love is love. Gender should never play a factor in wither or not you love someone."

Raphael's eyes turned stone cold as they looked at me. He put a defensive arm around Simon before asking, "Why are you asking? Does our relationship bother you?"

I shake my head no quickly, hoping I didn't piss a vampire off enough to where he will try to drink me dry.

"No it doesn't. In fact... I actually envy you."

Raphael lost his mad expression, now all of them just staring at me in question. I cleared my throat, glancing away to avoid the stares.

"All my life I always felt romantic feelings tword boys. It's against the law to be in those kind of relationships and my father expects me to... he just expects a lot from me. That's why I envy you for being able to be with who you want."

"Is there a boy in Alicante that has your interest" Tessa asked watching me closely. All of them were watching me intently as if my answer would affect them all.

"No nothing like that. I've had crushes but I've never fallen in love with someone."

They all look at each other, a look of- I want to say hope- in their eyes. Why did they look like that? Does me never being in love really matter to them that much?

"Enough talk, you need to eat up and hurry back to your room." Tessa directed, a big smile playing out on her face.

After dinner I was left alone to walk to my bedroom. I was directed to go straight to my room but I wanted to explore this castle a bit. As long as I stay out of Magnus's way it should be fine.

I had just left the dining room, going to head west when a harsh voice from next to me asked "Enjoy dinner," making me jump.

Turning, I see the voice is coming from the master of this castle. Magnus is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking at me accusingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say simply. "I'm not allowed to eat unless it's with you and I don't remember eating with you."

"I'm not stupid and I know my friends. They would never let you starve even if I told them to." he grumbled making me roll my eyes slightly.

"Friends? It looked like they were your servants to me. Most people don't boss their friends around like you seem to do."

"Be happy that i didn't go in there and stop them from feeding you" he continued, ignoring me completely. "If it was up to me I would have dragged you back to your room."

"Why? Because I refuse to eat with you? For a centeries old warlock, you act a lot like a child. Throwing little tantrums because something doesnt go your way. My nine year old brother is more mature than you."

That last comment seemed to strike a nerv and I mentally patted myself on the back. If this guy wanted to fight with me then I'm going to give him a fight. Alec Lightwood isn't one to back down from a challenge.

"This is my castle. If I want to throw a tantrum then I will damn well throw one. You should show some respect when talking to me."

I scoffed at that. "I only respect people who respect me in return. You should have showed me some respect and let me say goodbye to Jace and Isabelle. You couldn't though so I refuse to show you even an ounce of respect."

"Tipical Nephilim, being stubborn and obnoxious. I'm showing you kindness that I have not shown to your kind in centeries."

"Obnoxious?! You're calling me obnoxious? Me?"

He just shrugged "I call it as I see it Alexander, and what i see is an ungreatful Shadowhunter who doesn't know how to say thank you."

That made me scoff. "You do not get to call me Alexander. It's Alec, and why should I thank you for inprisoning me and trying to starve me?!"

"I wouldn't have tried to starve you if you just ate dinner with me in the first place," he growled, his cat eyes getting intense. That should have scared me but it didn't. Actually, the intensity of his eyes was interesting.

"You threw Jace and Isabelle through that portal like they were trash. You say you showed me kindness? Real kindness would have been giving me the chance to say goodbye. Maybe then I would have tollerated having a meal with you."

Magnus growled low in his throat before pointing to the left. "Your bedroom is that way. I'll escort you there. Someone should have been showing you there anyway. Wouldn't want you wandering around places you aren't allowed to go."

"Are you refurring to that staircase you told me I wasn't allowed to go to? Giving me limits will only make me want to break them."

There was a painting at the top of the stairs of groups of Nephilim overpowering a small group of Downworlders. At least, I'm assuming the others were Downworlders. I don't know who else they would be.

There could be proof that a war did take place back then. If I can find some proof and bring it back to Alicante with me, my father would have to admit that I was right.

They would all have to admit I was right.

Still, with this guy sticking on me like a tic, there's no way I will be able to get anywhere near it. He told me to stay out so he's going to do anything to keep me out.

Reluctantly, I followed the warlock down the hall and back toward the bedrooms. He kept glancing back to make sure I didn't get away but I wasn't stupid enough to try that. He would find me in seconds.

Oh well, if I have to be around him then I might as well get some information out of him.

"So... your friends told me there was a war between our kinds long ago. Can you tell me about it?"

"The war is not to be spoken about in this place. They should know better than to say anything about it."

He glanced back at me, a twinkle of amusment in his eye. "I bet they didn't even tell you about the war. Let me guess, you were hoping I would come out and tell you everything just because I thought my friends did first. Sorry to break it to you blue eyes, but I'm not so easily fooled.

We stopped in front of my bedroom door and he opened it for me. "Here's your room. I ask that you stay in it for the rest of the night."

I sighed, walking passed him and going inside. "It's been a long day and I'm exhausted so you don't need to worry about me leaving the room."

He watched me as if he was searching for a lie on my face. I wasn't lying though. I was tired and I really needed some sleep.

I leaned on the door, looking back at him. "Tell your friends that I loved dinner. Your chef is the best. I look forward to breakfast."

We stared at each other in silence for a moment and I sighed, feeling like I should give this guy a break. Sure, he is a selfish jerk who locked me up here and sent my family away, but if I can get him to like me then he will tell me about the war.

"Will you be joining me for breakfast" I mumbled, glancing away. He looked back at me surprised and his expression made me flush slightly. Was it really so shocking that I invited him to have breakfast with me?

"Yeah... breakfast sounds great."

I nodded "great, see you then" I grumbled before shutting the door in his face.

Once I could hear the sound of his footsteps going down the hall, I leaned against the wall frowning. Was that the right move? Should I have waited a little longer before inviting him to breakfast? I still can't stand his guts.

"Take it one day at a time I guess" I sighed before plopping down on the bed, closing my heavy lids and immediately falling asleep.

I was dead tired.


	5. No Prince Charming

Malec Tales Series 1: The Nephilim and The Warlock Chapter 4: No Prince Charming.

Magnus Pov- I didn't sleep all night long. After escorting Alec to his bedroom I was shocked by him invitation to join him for breakfast.

If you want to call what he did an invitation. The way he asked, it was like he didn't really want to have breakfast with me. if that's the case, why even ask?

Still, he did invite me so I need to be on my best behavior. Can not show any resentment or give him reason to withdraw from me.

Groaning, I turned onto my stomach and plopped my face in my pillow. Why would I stress myself so much over a Shadowhunters approval?

Sure, he is our one last chance to keep our souls, but is there even a chance I could fall in love with him?

I know I can phisically. He has the black hair and blue eyes that I just adore more than anything else.

He is phisically appealing but so far his personallity isn't something to fall for. He is very defensive and crabby.

That just might be his way of protecting himself though. God knows my additute toward him and his kind is my way of protecting myself.

Something tells me this isn't what he's actually like. If I can break through his defensive wall, maybe I will find someone worth loving behind it.

Groaning, I hid my face deeper into my pillow.

Just because I could possibly fall in love with him doesn't mean he will fall in love with me. There's no possible way.

A knock on the door disturbed my thoughts making me sigh and lift my head.

"What is it?"

Raphael's voice came through the door saying, "Breakfast is ready Magnus. Simon is waking Alec now as well."

"I'll be right down" I called, tossing my blankets back and hopping out of bed. I made my way to my wardrobe, wondering how I should dress.

I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard but at the same time, I also don't want to be a slob.

I have all the latest styles of clothing. Just because I've been locked away in a castle for hundreds of years doesn't mean I'm not with all the trends.

My magic still works outside these walls. I only use it to get clothes and food for my friends and I.

I really shouldn't have listened to Simon when he begged me to get him shirts with superheros and mundane cartoons on them. It's all he ever wears.

Raphael's taste in clothing is more refined but it was also expensive. It would cost me a arm and a leg if I actually paid for the clothes.

Everyone else in the house had simple clothes. Tessa loved wearing her old victorian clothing most of the time and Ragnor wore jeans and button up shirts. As for catarina, she wore scrubs because she likes how comfortable they were.

My fashion sense varied depending on the centery. Right now I was into skinny jeans and loose fitting shirts.

Also glitter... well, everywhere.

Deciding that I wanted to actually make an effort to look good for Alec, I chose to wear my black skinny jeans with glitter inbedded on them, a light blue tangtop that matched his eyes, and I spiked up my hair slightly.

Maybe if Alec see's I dressed up for him, he will be impressed. I wonder what thought he put into dressing for me? His wardorbe is full with nice options for him to choose.

Feeling surprisingly giddy, I quickly left my bedroom and made my way to the dining room. I hopped down the stairs with a slight pep in my step. That felt strange but nice.

My excitment died though the moment I walked in the dining room, seeing everyone but the boy who invited me.

I looked around confused before looking at Simon. "Where is Alec?"

"He said he was coming down. He sounded drowsy through the door. Maybe he's not much of a morning person?"

The thought of a Shadowhunter not being a morning person was weird. Normally they are all up at the crack of dawn even though they spend all night hunting demons.

Deciding to give him a chance, I made my way to my chair and sat down. There was a matching chair at the other side of the table for Alec. That had Tessa's doing written all over it.

Ten minutes passed and I wondered if Alec really was trying to dress to impress me. Why else would he take so long to get down here? He's the one who invited me to have breakfast. Would he really leave me hanging?

Just when I was about to go into a fit of rage and storm up to his room, the dining room doors opened and Alec walked through them.

Disapoinment took over me as I looked over the attire he picked for the day. Out of all the options he had to choose from, he picked out an old gray holy sweater and some baggy jeans?

His hair was also sticking up in places as if he just rolled out of bed and didn't bother to brush it.

honestly... it was a little sexy.

A yawn escaped Alec as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. I guess Simon was right about him not being a morning person.

"Glad you could join us Alexander" I teased making his scowl sleepily at me.

"I told you not to call me that" he mumbled before glancing over at the 'throne' chair at the end of the table. It was the only seat not taken.

"Is that for me?"

Tessa nodded smiling at him. "Magnus thought it would be a good idea for you to have a seat of your own."

It wasn't my idea at all but I wasn't going to say anything. Obviously Tessa wants me to take credit for it, so why object?

Alec made his way to the chair and hesitated a moment before sitting down in it. Unlike my chair, that was cushioned in red fabric; Alec's was in a dark blue that complimented his pale skin.

Tessa really knew how to pick a chair.

"What's for breakfast" Alec asked looking at me.

"that's a good question. What have you prepared for us this morning, Tessa?"

She smiled clapping her hands and some servants brought out the dishes. There was everything from eggs, to French toast, to pancakes.

Alec's lips watered as he looked over the options. There was even fruit salad and toast on any type of bread you could think of.

"I haven't had food like this since I lived in New York." He said scooping a little bit of everything onto his plate.

"You used to live in New York?" I asked, wanting to learn more about him. It surprised me that he revealed something about himself.

He frowned having realized that he let something slip and he just started eating, not saying anything else.

This caused me to frown. Was he giving me the cold shoulder? He was the one who asked me to have breakfast with him yet he has the audacity to ignore me?

I clenched my fork in irritation,my anger and magic making the fork bend backwards. Seeing this, Ragnor took the fork out of my hand and Catarina gave me a new one.

Alec looked down at the bent fork before looking back up at me with a raised eyebrow.

"If you must know Mr. cranky pants, I lived in New York for most of my life. My family moved there when I was two and we ran the institute for awhile. Once my father became Inquisitor two years ago we moved back to Idris and the Morgansterns' took over the institute."

Ugh, the Morgansterns. They have always been a troublesome family. I'm surprised they were even given an institute.

"What Shadowhunter family are you from, Alec?" I asked, ignoring Simon as he smothered blood on his pancakes. Alec seemed unnerved by this. It used to bother me but I just pretend it's strawberry syrup.

I put some french toast on my plate before using my new fork to shove most of it in my mouth.

Alec watched me, once again looking unnerved. "I'm from the Lightwood family. Alexander Gideon Lightwood."

The name Lightwood made me choke on my food. I caughed, slamming my fist over my chest to try to get the food out.

Simon got up and slammed his hand on my back, making the piece of food come flying out of my mouth and back on the table. Alec looked more than unnerved now. He seemed disgusted.

I took a quick drink of water before clearing my throat, trying to pull myself together.

"So let me get this straight, you're a Lightwood," I asked when I was finally able to talk.

"Yeah I am. My father is Robert Lightwood, the Inquisitor. The girl you held hostage was my sister Isabelle Lightwood."

"You look more like a Herondale than a Lightwood. You lack the sarcasm of a Herondale though."

"He must be a descendent of Will's sister" Tessa said softly, frowning down at her plate."

Alec looked at her before looking back at me. "I'm not a Herondale but the blonde guy you had here last night is."

That made Tessa drop her spoon and the whole room went quiet. There is a living Herondale, he was in the castle and we never even knew.

When William was killed, the children Tessa and him had together got taken away. Tessa always assumed they were killed too. She lost hope that they would be alive. They couldn't possibly be alive today but they have descendents.

Alec looked around at everyone confused by the sudden silence. Deciding it was time to change the subject, I smiled at him.

"Do you like living in Idris or New York better?"

He didn't answer me at first. Instead he just watched me as if he was studying something. The look made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

"New York for sure. Idris is nice but it's too quiet. I miss the loud street noise of the city."

It's been so long since I've been to New York City. It's been forever since I've been anywhere other than this castle. I understand what he means about not liking the silence.

"I haven't been to New York in centuries. Cars were just invented at the time. I doubt it was as loud as it is now, but it was still louder than London."

Ragnor nodded sighing. "It's true. London had it's moments of hussle and bussle, but it was mostly quiet. We still had carriges while everyone else were moving to automobiles."

Alec seemed interested in that. "You lived in London, Ragnor?"

"I didn't just live in London. I was the High Warlock of London."

The confused expression on Alec's face was cute. He scrunched up his nose when he's confused. Something tells me he doesn't even notice he does it.

"what's the High Warlock of London?"

I shook my head sighing. "You shadowhunters really don't know anything do you? How does the clave manage to hide such important people in history?"

Alec's confused frown turned into an irritated scowl. Now his eyebrows were scrunching up, which was still cute.

"It's not my fault that the Clave hid your exsistance. I have read every book I can about Downworlders but there's only a handful of books on the subject in the public library. I was going to sneak in the Archives to try to find out more information on your kind, but I got a fire message from Jace and dropped what I was doing."

To my surprise, Ragnor answered Alec's question.

"Every city had a High Warlock. They are the strongest warlocks in the area. The High Warlock was the one Nephilim went to when they needed magic assistance. High Warlocks were also the ones most effected by the Claves betrayal. They thought the Clave needed them and because of that, they were left with a false sense of security. Nephilim took advantage of that and killed off all the High Warlocks but two."

"One of them was you, Ragnor," Alec said before looking around the table. "Who was the second one?"

"That doesn't matter. Let's change the subject," I demanded, not wanting him to know that I was the High Warlock of Brooklyn. This whole conversation was getting really close to the war. I didn't want to talk about the war. Especially to a shadowhunter.

Alec didn't like my dissmissal though. He glared at me for a moment before putting down his fork.

"Why do we need to change the subject? I want to know about the history of Downworlders."

"It's none of your buisness what happened to the Downworlders. Your people are keeping it in the dark so maybe that's where you should stay."

That answer didn't satisfy Alec.

"What kind of bull crap is that? Maybe if you tell me about what happened, I can take it back to the Clave and find a way to help make up for what my kind did to you."

I laughed at that, wondering how he can even think such a thing, let alone say it out loud.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the Clave already knows about us. They are keeping us hidden from the world and pretending like we aren't here. It may have been centries but I know there are some that know the truth."

"You don't even want to try to be noticed? If all the other Nephilim find out about you, they might force the Clave into fixing the wrongs of our ancestors."

"Incase you forgot, you're going to be trapped here forever. That means you won't even have the chance to talk to the Clave."

Alec glared at me before saying, "If I can't ever leave this castle, then by all means, you should tell me about the war. Who can I tell if I'm trapped here?"

"I will not tell you anything about the war and no one here will tell you either" I growled, looking at all my friends before glaring at Simon, knowing that if anyone was going to say something, it would be his loud mouth.

Simon just put up his hands before going back to eating his blood covered pancakes. I watched him a moment before looking back at Alec.

Alec looked around at everyone before glaring at me. "You're really going to be that way?"

I ignored him, taking my knife and fork and cutting into my food. He glared at me a moment longer before pushing off the table and standing up.

"Fine if you want to be a jackass so be it. I'm going back to my room." He growled before storming out of the room, throwing the door open.

I watched him go before going back to eating, ignoring all the eyes that were on me now.

"Really, Magnus, would it be so bad to tell him about the war? Maybe it will do you some good to talk about it," Catarina sighed.

"I don't need to talk about it and he doesn't need to know about it. it's not his place to know about the past. I meant what I said. No one better talk to him about the war. That's the one thing I will not forgive."

"What was so bad about the war anyway" Simon asked looking around at everyone. "You threatened me the most out of everyone but I know close to nothing about the war. I was a mundane for most of it and didn't even know a war was going on."

Everyone stayed silent not answering the question. Even Raphael wouldn't speak. The war was hard on all of us.

Raphael was the only vampire left. He was so distraught over it that he went to a mundane bar and bit the first person he saw.

That person was Simon.

They couldn't stand each other at first. Raphael took Simons mortal life and to Raphael, Simon was just annoying. After being together for so long they somehow fell in love with each other.

Catarina was a peace keeper so to speak. She wouldn't fight in the war but she was always on the battlefield, healing anyone, and I mean anyone.

She would pull an injured Nephilim to the side and heal him. It didn't matter if that shadowhunter had taken many Downworlder lives. To her, a life doesn't equal a life.

For the longest time I was furious with her. She would heal these shadowhunters and they would just go back out and kill more of our people. I felt like by doing that, she was betraying us.

Once the war ended, I chose to forgive her. I only had a hand full of friends left. I didn't want to lose anymore over petty things like anger and hate.

"You should at least go apologize to Alec. If you don't want to tell him about the war than at least tell him more about Downworlders. I'm sure he would be happy with that," Raphael suggested.

I thought about that for a moment before nodding, standing up, and quickly making my way out of the room and down the hall.

Surprisingly, I met up with Alec by the staircase. I expected him to be half way to his room by now.

"I'm surprised you aren't locked up in your room already" I commented making him huff and cross his arms over his chest.

"If you must know... I got lost," he mumbled trying to hide his blushing face.

I couldn't help but smile at the blush. He was cute when he was embarrassed.

"This is a pretty large castle. Look, I came to apologize about my behavior. I just don't like talking about the war. No one here does."

Alec looked like he was going to snap at me again, but thought better of it and just crossed his arms tighter, still looking slightly irritated.

"I get it but you didn't have to be such a jerk about it. A simple 'i'm sorry Alec but the war is hard for me to talk about and i rather not say,' would have been just fine."

"Fine. I'm sorry, Alec but the war is hard for me to talk about and I rather not say," I replied back smirking.

Alec snorted in distaste, shaking his head at me. "Okay, thanks smart-ass. I would have appreciated a little senserity but it's whatever."

The corner of my lip lifted slightly in a half smile. "look, I won't tell you anything about the war. However, if you would come with me to the study, I will try to answer some of your questions about Downworlders. Sound fair?"

He seemed to think it over for a moment before nodding. "I would like to know more about your kind."

Honestly, a part of me thought he would reject my request. Now that he said yes, I feel like I need time to prepare what will be discussed. Don't need him somehow tricking me into talking about the war.

"How about this? Since brakfast was obviously a bust, how about we have lunch together in a couple hours. We'll meet in the study room and eat in there while I answer your questions that I find acceptable to answer."

"Will you actually make an effort to tell me or will you only give me half baked explinations? I have been curious about Downworlders for the past year and will be very disappointed if you cheat me out of knowing as much as possible."

"I will do my best to give you as many answers as you'd like. Just as long as you don't ask anything about the war. Deal?"

Alec contemplated it before nodding. "Deal."

Alec Pov- I went back to my room wondering if any progress was made between Magnus and myself. What kind of progress could be made with a crazy warlock who is keeping you hostage in a castle? Still, I was happy he was at least considering talking to me about Downworlders.

I still know so little and he has knowledge on the subject that I could only dream of having.

Why couldn't he tell me about the war? Was it really so bad that none of them want to bring it up? From the look Magnus gave him, Simon would be the most likely to spill secrets about the war. At the same time, something tells me I won't get a lot of information through Simon.

I sat in my bed, criss-crossing my legs before I reached under the pillow and pulled out the leather bound journal I had hidden underneath.

"I bet M.B, would tell me about the war. He writes about such painful things in this journal. I bet it would help him to say these things out loud."

Thinking about it, I haven't read a single entry since coming to this castle. Maybe the answers I seek are in this book.

With that thought in mind, I cracked the book open to the third entry.

 _July 17th 1815,_

 _The events I have feared have finally come to pass. The Downworlders have waged war on the Nephilim._

 _I still don't understand what they are thinking. They want justice for Woolsey, Camille, and all the other Downworlders that were caught in the cross fires of the Shadowhunters pride._

 _I want justice for them too but declaring war is a mad man's errand. We are out numbered by many and they have to know that there is no possible way we can win._

 _Not all the Shadowhunters are turning against us. William Herondale has not turned his back on me. Ever since he found out his wife is half warlock, he has been trying to keep her safe from the Clave._

The mention of Will Herondale made me stop reading. Didn't Tessa say that Will Herondale was her husband? If that's so, then this warlock knew them. Better yet, Tessa may know who wrote this journal.

Keeping that thought in mind, I continued reading.

 _I would like to think that even without Tessa being a warlock, he would still come to my aid when needed and be on my side. He and James Carstairs are the only Nephilim I have ever truly trusted. I just hope they don't betray that trust._

 _There's no turning back now. A war is at hand and the Downworlders will need me there to fight for them. As the only warlock alive willing to fight, it's my duty to protect my kind_.

 _Even if I too die in the process._

 _July 17th 1815 - M.B_

Him mentioning Tessa by name proves it. She would know who wrote this journal. To get that information from her, I would have to show her the journal and risk having it taken away. I don't know if I want to take that chance.

"I wonder if Tessa is the only one he knows" I asked myself out loud before turning the page, reading the fourth entry.

 _October 3rd 1815,_

 _The cold is setting in, in more ways than one. It may only be the beginning of Fall but there is already snow falling to the ground. There's also red blood mixing with that snow._

 _The war has been hell. It's only been two months and most of the werewolves have been wiped out. The Nephilim are showing no mercy, even going as far as to kill their young._

 _Not all bad news to report though. Peace has been made somewhere else tonight. The mundane war between The United States and Great Britain has finally ended._

 _That war has been going on for three years and is being named The War of 1812._

 _Not the most original name but at least it has ended._

 _It's weird to think about though isn't it? Someday in the way future, people will learn about a war fought in the past. It will be in history books and maybe the next generation will use that knowledge to not repeat past mistakes._

 _Maybe the world will find peace. Or who knows, maybe the whole world will go at war with each other. Each having to take a side and fight. A real World war._

 _I can't concern myself with how the mundane world might turn out. Especially when the Downworlders world's are so close to ending._

 _How many more entries will I be able to write here? How much longer will I be alive? Will I die without ever experiencing true love?_

 _I've never really been in love before. I thought I was with Camille but I was wrong. What we had wasn't love._

 _I want someone to come home to. I want someone who will smile when I walk in and truly be happy that I'm there. I want to love someone so deeply that the thought of ever losing them made my soul ache._

 _The truth of the matter is, I may never live long enough to find that person. I'll die before ever getting the chance._

 _It doesn't hurt to dream though. I'll keep on dreaming until the day it comes true._

 _Who knows, maybe the one who holds my heart is reading this right now._

 _October 3rd 1815- M.B_

His words about love made my face heat up and my heart beat fast. That might have been the most romantic thing I have ever read. He was so hopeful for love even in the midst of war. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was innocent to love.

Was he still like that today? Was he even alive today to feel those feelings?

If he was alive then he would live in this castle, right?

I was pulled out of my deep thoughts by the coo-coo clock on my wall chiming, telling me that it was now noon. Lunch time.

Magnus was expecting me in the study room to talk about Downworlders.

Frowning, I looked down at the journal in my lap, wondering if I should take it with me and ask him about it. He might know who wrote it and could possibly tell me more about him.

Then again, there is talk about the war in this book. Knowing Magnus he would have a fit and take the journal away from me. He was so obnoxious and rude. Nothing like the sweet, caring warlock who wrote in this journal.

No. If I was going to take a chance showing the journal to someone, it would be Tessa. I don't think she would yell at me for it or take it away. I'll have to mention it to her later.

For now, I had lunch with Magnus to attend. Let's hope it goes better than breakfast.


	6. Another Minute

Malec Tales Series 1: Nephilim and the Warlock- Chapter 5: Another Minute.

Alec pov- By time I got to the study room, it was already twelve thirty. This castle was huge and I kept losing my way at every corner I turned.

Magnus seemed annoyed when I finally got there but relaxed once I sat down on the floor in front of him, leaning on some of the pillows scattered around us.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," he said, looking at me questioningly."

"If you must know, I got lost again. You need to put maps up on the walls around here. I can't tell my left from my right."

"There has never been a map of the castle made. When I built it, everyone who it was intended for had a spell placed on them that would direct them to any room they wanted to go. You don't have such a spell placed on you, so of course you get lost."

"Could you maybe put that spell on me then? I'm tired of being so turned around all the time. If I'm going to live here forever, I need to know where i'm going. Wouldn't want to accidentally wander into your precious forbidden wing of the castle now would I?"

"You know the painting so if you see it, you are on the wrong wing. I'll be nice though and put the spell on you. Tessa would give me an ear full if she found out you asked me to and I rejected it."

"Are you afraid of Tessa or something? She seems to be the only person you listen to."

"Fear? No. Respect? Absolutely. I respect her more than anyone else in the world." He said grabbing a book sitting next to him.

"Why her? Don't you respect anyone else in the castle? What about Ragnor or Catarina?"

"You ask a lot of questions. Of course, I respect Ragnor and Catarina. We havr been through a lot together but not as much as Tessa and I. There's a bond with her that I don't have with anyone else."

I thought about my next question carefully for a moment before asking, "is it because of Will Herondale?"

Magnus looked up from the book. "Talking about Will is the same as talking about the war. We don't talk about the war so next question."

I sighed, wondering why I even bothered. There was no way he would give me a clue to who the author of the journal was. Tessa is the only one who can help me with that.

"Fine, you win. What book are you holding?"

He held it out to me. "This is a book about warlocks. You said your library didn't have a lot on the subject so I thought we would start there."

This surprised me. I thought warlocks would be the last thing he would want to talk to me about.

I opened the book, skimming the pages, and the first thing that caught my attention was the phrase ' _Demon Mark'_.

"What is a demon mark" I asked looking up at him. Hw frowned, staying silent for a minute before answering.

"It is the mark that identifies you as a warlock. Ragnor's green skin, white hair, and horns arw his demon mark. Same goes for Catarina' blue skin and white hair."

"Are your cat eyes your demon mark?"

He nodded "it's part of it. I also don't have a belly button. My demon mark isn't as bad as the others and can be easily hidden."

"Why hide it when you live with your friends? They all know about it already right," I asked confused.

He nodded. "Yes but it's for my own benefit. Fourty years ago, I found something out about my demon mark that I didn't like."

"What would that be?"

He stayed silent not answering me and after five minutes of silence I got the hint that he wasn't going to answer.

"Fine you don't have to answer. Though, I don't know why you bothered bringing it up if you weren't even going to tell me about it."

I turned the page and read the whole chapter on demon marks. Magnus sat quietly, watching me and answering questions when I asked.

"Does Tessa have a demon mark," I asked, hoping that wouldn't be a taboo question.

Magnus shook his head no. "Tessa is half Nephilim, so she doesn't have a demons mark. The only magic she posseses is the ability to transform into another person. She needs to be holding something of theirs for it to work."

"I bet that came in handy during the war," I thought aloud. Once I realized I said it, I quickly looked at Magnus.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud. You don't have to comment on it."

To my surprise, Magnus seemed thoughtful. Like he was actually thinking about giving me an answer to my question.

"It came in handy sometimes. I remember once, she got ahold of the Inquisitors necklace and used it to look like her and trick a brigade of Shadowhunters to stear away from where our hideout was."

At first, I was shocked that Magnus actually revealed something about the war. Then, what he said caught my attention and I was even more shocked.

"Wait a second. Necklace? 'Her'? Are you saying that the Inquisitor at the time was a woman?"

Magnus nodded. "Why do you seem so surprised?"

I glanced away, not knowing what to think about this new information.

"My father told me that there has never been a female Inquisitor before. That is the reason why he is pushing me so hard to get the role, because my sister can't have it."

"Your father is either a liar or he doesn't know about her. The war went on for a thousand years. A lot of Inquisitors came and went throughout that time. I believe she was the only female that took the position and it was most likely because so many men were fighting."

Magnus frowned at himself, seeming shocked that he so easily told me all this. I was shocked too. There's no way I was getting any more out of him now so I changed the subject.

"My father wants me to be an Inquisitor because every Lightwood man has become one. He doesn't think Max will be strong enough to do it so he hopes I will."

"That's what your father wants. What is it you want, Alexander?"

Magnus kept surprising me. I never expected him to ask such a question. No one has ever asked me what I wanted. Not even Jace and Isabelle.

"I... I usee to dream of traveling. Seeing the world. All I have ever known is New York and Idris. I want to see so much more."

Magnus nodded, leaning back on the pillows behind him and looking up at the ceiling. "I traveled the world a thousand years ago. It was still so new and there wasn't much to see. Sometimes I dream of leaving this castle and seeing how it all changed. See how much I changed with it. I was a different man back then."

"Why don't you leave and see the world? What's keeping you here?"

The far off look in Magnus's eyes was saddening. There wae regret and pain in those eyes.

"Let's just say, none of us can leave this castle for any reason. The furthest we can go is the garden."

"Why is that?" I asked frowning.

He just sat in silence, once again not answering. Thinking I should give him a break, I crawled over to his side of the pillows and sat down next to him. Our elbows brushed from how close we were.

I didn't mean to sit so close but he was hogging all the pillows on his side, so I had no choice if I wanted to be comfortable.

Magnus looked surprised and a little dazed by the fact that I was sitting so close to him.

"Tell me about your travels," I said leaning back into what little pillows I did have. Magnus scooted over to give m more room but our arms were still touching.

"What do you want to know about them?"

I shrugged, "where was your favorite place to go?"

"Peru." He said immediately with no hesitation.

"Really? Why Peru?"

He thought for a moment and smiled a true genuine smile. I don't think I've seen him do that before. He was kind of handsome when he smiled.

"I got into a lot of trouble every time I vacationed there. It got to the point where the Peruvian Warlock Committee banned me from ever coming back."

"Would you still be banned if you went back today?" I asked innocently. It must not have veen such an innocent question because Magnus lost his smile and now looked sad.

"There is no longer a Peruvian Warlock committee to keep me out, so I guess I would be able to go if I really wanted."

"Do you want to," I asked softly.

"There are a lot of places I want to go, Alexander. I'm sure you know the feeling."

"I've never been to those places. You have, so you already have a taste of what they are like."

"Not in this day and age I don't," he sighed. We would be seeing it through the same eyes."

"Too bad we are both trapped here forever," I sighed softly, making Magnus glance at me.

"If you think you can guilt me into letting you go, you're wrong. I won't let you leave just because we want the same thing."

"I wasn't trying to trick or guilt you. I was just stating facts."

He stared at me skeptically for a moment before nodding. "Enough about this subject. Ask me another question before I change my mind."

I looked through the book hoping something interesting would pop out at me but nothing did. Instead I closed the book and turned on my side, looking at Magnus.

"What is your favorite color?"

Magnus looked baffled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want to know what your favorite color is. My favorite is gray, though Isabelle says that such a dreary color couldn't possibly be my favorite. I think it's a warm color and I like warm colors. What do you like?"

The long pause of silence told me that Magnus didn't know how to answer this question. That or he was just really surprised that I was asking it.

Finally after a few minutes he said, "I've never had a favorite color. I love all of them equally. Though I do perfer brighter colors to darker ones."

"Most people do," I nodded in agreement. "What's your favorite book to read?"

"Why are you asking me all these pointless questions? I thought you wanted to know about Downworlders?"

"I do, but I also want to learn more about you. We are going to be stuck together for a long time, right? Might as well get to know each other."

Magnus stared at me like I was crazy. I ignored his look, leaning back against the pillows and hugging my knees to my chest, looking up at the ceiling.

"The most I have read are Shadowhunter sories and the few Downworlder books I found in the Idris library. My parents never let me read Mundane books when we lived in New York. I always wanted to though."

"I am under the impression that you do everything your parents tell you to do." Magnus guessed, making my face flush.

"I don't do everything they tell me to do."

"Okay then, give me an example of when you ever told them no for any reason. Not counting not wanting to be inquisitor."

I opened my mouth to counter with a whole list of examples but nothing came out. No such situation has ever occurred because I have never defied my parents. Especially my father. Not being Inquisitor is really the only thing I fount him on. That and reading Downworlder books.

"That's what I have always hated about Nephilim parents. They always push their ideals onto their children. Molding them into emotionless drones."

Magnus stood up, brushing invisible dust off his pants and looked up at him frowning. "You never told me what your favorite book is," I said softly.

He walked to the door and opened it, standing in the doorway for a moment. His back was turned to me as he said, "I always loved Shakespeare. Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, stories like those."

With that he walked out of the room leaving me alone sitting in a sea of pillows. Maybe asking all those personal questions wasn't a good idea after all.

'There's nothing wrong with asking someone what their favorite book and color is', I thought to myself before sighing and standing up.

As I walked out of the study, Tessa was walking down the hall and smiled seeing me.

"Good afternoon, Alec. I'm sorry about the way Magnus acted this morning. He can be grumpy when he doesn't have coffee."

"It's okay, he made up for it during lunch... though we didn't eat anything so was it really lunch?"

Tessa looked confused and I just shook my head. "It's nothing, never mind me. Though Tessa, I was hoping I would run into you. Could you come back to my room with me? I have something I would like to talk to you about in private."

"A private matter you say? Well I don't know how much I will be able to help depending on what it is, but I will do my best."

"That's all I ask," I assured her, walking with her back to my room.

When they got there she sat down on my bed, looking around.

"You know, this room is even nicer than mine. I'm surprised Magnus gave it to you. Especially since you are technically a prisoner."

"This room does seem a little too nice to be a prison. Still feels like one though," I mumbled the last part frowning.

Tessa put her hand over mine on the bed. "Who knows, maybe you will come to like it here."

"A prison is a prison wither you like it there or not."

I shook my head, feeling we were getting off topic. "This isn't what I wanted to talk with you about."

"okay then, what do you want to talk about" she asked, he smile sweet like always. This girl seemed too nice for her own good.

"First, you need to promise that this will stay between us. You can't tell Magnus or anyone about it, alright?"

She seemed hesitant to agree but in the end nodded. "I promise, Alec."

I nodded before grabbing the journal out from under the pillow. The moment she saw it, Tessa's eyes flashed of something she recognized.

"I'm going to guess by your reaction that you know what this is," I said watching her closely.

"I do. The real question here is where did you obtain that? Last time I saw it, it was thrown off a bridge in a fit of rage and defeat."

"I found it in Idris's library thinking it was a storybook written in the form of a journal. Now that I know that Warlocks and Downworlders exsist, I can't help think it is real. Especially since you and Will Herondale were mentioned."

Talk of William made Tessa look sad. It made me feel slightly guilty but I wanted answers.

"What is it you want to know about the journal?"

"I want to know who wrote it. Are they still alive today? Do they live in this castle and I just haven't met them?"

My voice was way too eager and Tessa caught on to that. She stared at me in silence for a moment before asking, "Why are you interested in the writer?"

Once again I felt my face flush but I ignored it, holding the journal close to my chest.

"No reason in particular. The man who wrote this journal seems like a nice guy who cared deeply about the Downworlders. He tried so hard to warn them about a possible war but no one would listen to him. I just want to have a chance to talk to him and see if he survived."

Tessa was silent again though her eyes looked like they were contemplating something. I waited in silence for several minutes for her to speak but she didn't.

"You know who he is right, Tessa?"

She nodded, "I do."

"Won't you tell me who he is and if he's still alive? All I know are his initals M.B."

Tessa turned her face away from me, looking down so her brown hair was hiding her face from me.

"The boy who wrote this journal no longer exists. The war killed him."

My shoulders dropped at that. "You're saying he's dead?"

"I'm saying the kind boy you're looking for who protected us and wrote that journal is no longer here. The war took him from us."

Her words confused me. She said 'the war killed him' so that has to mean he's no longer alive right? For some reason, that makes me feel really sad.

"It's a shame. I really wanted to meet him," I sighed putting the book aside.

"Why is that? You thought he would tell you about the war?"

I thought about that for a moment before shaking my head. "Not completely. I guess I was just fascinated by someone who wore his heart so bare on his sleeve. He really cared about his people."

Tessa nodded looking down at the book. "That he did. He was ready to fight to the death for his friends and people. He was the only warlock who would assist in the war."

Once she said that, she put her hand over her mouth and stood up. "I'm sorry, Alec but I'm afraid this conversation has to end. I'm not allowed to talk to you about the war."

This caused me to roll my eyes. "Let me take a wild guess on who gave you that order. Why is Magnus so against me learning about the war?"

"To be honest, Alec, it's not your place to know. Magnus wants the past to stay in the past. You asking him or anyone else for that matter, about the war will just open old wounds. We all suffered after the war and we really just want to forget it all. Do you understand?"

I nodded frowning. "I understand. I won't ask any of you about the war anymore."

She smiled, leaning in and kissing my forehead. "You are a sweet boy Alec. I bet your mother is very proud of you."

"I wouldn't know. My parents don't make it a habit of telling me they're proud."

Tessa smiled sadly, gently running her fingers through my hair before pushing my bangs out of my face.

"Well, if my boy really did get the chance to live out his life, I hope he grew up to be as kind as you. I would be more than proud to have a son like you."

I smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy from her compliment. No one has ever said something that nice to me before.

She stood up walking over to the door smiling. "Remember Alec, no asking anyone about the war. Promise me?"

I nodded "I promise to stop asking about the war."

She nodded before turning away and walking out, shutting the door behind her.

I waited for her to be gone before standing up and grabbing a satchel off a hook on the wall. It was made of leather and was actually really nice.

"I won't ask anyone about the war. I'll just go to the mysterious wing and find out everything myself."

Grabbing the journal, I gently stroked the cover with my finger tips, frowning. "There's a chance you died before finishing this journal. If I want to find out what happened to you, I need to break some rules."

 _'Magnus will be furious,'_ a little voice in my head whispered. _'You could get in a lot of trouble.'_

I shook my head of those thoughts, putting the journal in the bag and grabbing a match to light the candle sitting on my bedside table.

Why should I care what Magnus will think? It's not like he took my feelings into account when he sent Jace and Isabelle away without giving me the chance to say goodebye. He won't ever find out I was in the wing anyway. It will all be fine.

I looked at the clock on the wall, seeing it was still pretty early in the day. I would have a better chance of sneaking into the wing if I went tonight while everyone is sleeping.

So that's what I did. After dinner I watched as everyone went to their rooms. Magnus offered to walk to me my room and I let him so he wouldn't be suspicious.

We stopped at my bedroom door and he scratched the back of his head, seeming nervous about something.

"What is it," I asked, confused about seeing him act this way.

"I just wanted to apologize for just walking out earlier. You asked me harmless questions but I was difficult and didn't want to answer them. I'm sorry."

To be honest, I was shocked that he was apologizing. Magnus didn't seem like the kind of guy who normally said he was sorry.

"You don't have to apologize. I was nosie and thought I would get to know things about you. It's not a prisoners place to get to know his captor so it was my mistake."

Magnus watched me in silence frowning, and I faked a yawn, wanting to get rid of him so I can start my investigation.

"It's getting late and I had a long day. Think I'm going to turn in early."

Magnus nodded. "Will I be seeing you at breakfast tomorrow?"

I nodded "of course. It is the most important meal of the day after all."

Magnus raised an eyebrow at me in question before turning away and heading down the hall. I watched him until he was out of sight before grabbing the satchel and rushing out of the room.

Sneaking to the forbidden wing was easier than I thought. I expected the area to be dark, (which is why I packed the match and candle) but there were lit torches on each side of the walls as you go up the stairs.

I stopped at the top of the stairs looking around for anyone who might stop me. Once I saw the coast was clear, I turned my attention to the painting hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs.

It was indeed what I first thought it was. A portrait of Shadowhunters overpowering Downworlders in an unfair battle. It was clear that the Downworlders were greatly out numbered.

"The clave always jumps at the chance to gloat about how amazing they were back in the day. Why would they hide this war if they are the ones who came out victorious?"

Deciding to ignore the painting for now, I turn and head down a long hallway. The walls are littered with enlarged old fashioned photographs. One that caught my eye was a picture of Magnus.

He wasn't dressed in the style of clothes he wears now. He wore a victorian style jacket and a silk vest over a white dress shirt. His hair was flat and there was no makeup on his face.

Something seemed different about the Magnus in this picture, more than just his style. The look in his eyes was different. The Magnus I know has eyes that look like they've seen death a thousand times over. This Magnus has light and hope insides his eyes.

Moving on, I walked passed a few more pictures before stopping at another. At first I was shocked because I thought it was a picture of me. It wasn't me though. Tessa and some small children were with him in the picture. If I had to make a guess, I would say that this is Will Herondale.

He looked so happy having one arm around his wife, the other around his son while his daughter sat in Tessa's arms.

Such a happy family, torn apart by war.

'Enough picture gazing' I thought to myself. 'I need to get some information and then get out before I am caught.'

I made my way down the rest of the hallway until I was met with a single wooden door.

"For such a big wing, there is only one room. Thats strange," I mumbled, opening the door and quickly stepping inside.

Candles were lit all over, revealing a normal master bedroom with a large canopy bed and an even larger wardrobe against the wall.

"Someones bedroom?"

This was very confusing. The forbidden wing was just a normal bedroom? How disappointing.

"Guess I should go back to my room. What a waist of time," I groaned, turning toward the door. Before I could make it there though, something bright and colorful caught my eye.

It was a light shining from the bedrooms balcony. Wanting to know what it was, I walked to the balcony and saw a single table with a glass lid sitting on to of it. Floating in that glass was a Witchlight.

It wasn't just any ordinary Witchlight. It shown in rays of rainbow colors. Witchlights weren't supposed to have colors. They are normally just white and only light up when Shadowhunters touch them. How was this happening?

 _You should go see for yourself. Go touch the Witchlight and see what happens when you do._

My body shivered with uneas. Those words came from inside my head but it felt like someone was whispering it in my ear.

 _Go look. Don't you want to know why the Witchlight can glow? Touch it and see if it changes._

The voice in my head spoke again and this time I listened to it. I made my way to the table though my body felt like it was moving on it's own.

I felt like I was in a trance as I grabbed the glass lid and took it off the table, setting it on the floor.

From far away, the rainbow colors seemed bright and magical. Closer up, I can see that the colors are dimming and only has half its hue left.

 _Touch it. Grab hold of it and seal his fate._

Seal his fate? What does that mean?

My hand moved forward, my body moving without any will of my own. My fingers almost brushed the stone, but stopped when I was harshly shoved against a wall.

I hissed in pain before looking over at who shoved me. Magnus quickly grabbed the glass lid on the floor and put it back over the Witchlight, his back tense as it faced me.

I couldn't see his face but I could tell by the way he was standing that he was furious.

"How did you know I was here," was my stupid question.

Magnus turned like a whip, his feirce cat eyes intens with anger.

"This is my bedroom Alexander. Why are you here? I told you that you are never to come here! Don't give me any shit about being lost either! What were you doing?!"

"I... I was looking for information about the war..."

This just seemed to tick him off more.

"Damn it, Alec! Can't you just stay out of it?! It's none of your business and it doesn't involve you!"

"I... I-"

"Worst of all you tried to touch the Witchlight! Why did you do that?! Do you know what you could have done?!"

"Look I'm sorry! I wasn't going to touch it but suddenly this strange voice appeared in my head and my body was moving on it's own! What's so bad about touching a Witchlight anyway?!"

Magnus's anger just seemed to sky rocket the more I spoke.

"If you touched it, it would have turned white! That would have made it resort back to just a normal Witchlight, which would have doomed us all!"

Those words caused me to frown. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Of course you don't understand! You are Nephilim! None of you will ever understand or care about hurting Downworlders!"

"That's not true! I care about what happens to you!"

"Liar!" he yelled before throwning a ball of fire at me. I jumped out of the way, once again slamming into the wall.

"Get the hell out of here! If I ever see you messing with the Witchlight again I will kill you!"

Those words rang in my ear and I feared that he would really do it. There was no way I stood a chance against him.

I quickly stood up and ran back in the room, grabbing the sachel I dropped on the floor, and busting out the door.

I sped down the stairs and just kept running until I was at the front door. When I grabbed the door handle, I was surprised to find that the entrance wasn't locked.

"Alec, wait" Simons voice echoed in the entrance hall. I turned around and saw him, along with everyone else, all but Magnus, watching me.

Tessa stepped up frowning. "Please Alec, don't go."

She looked so sad and her voice was pleading. It made me feel guilty but I still shook my head.

"I'm sorry... but I can't be here another minute."

With that I ran outside, letting the huge entrance door slam shut behind me.

Magnus Pov- "What in the hell did you do" Tessa demanded storming into my room.

"If you are asking about Alexander, I didn't do anything wrong. He came in my room after being told multiple times not to and he almost touched Asmodeous's Witchlight."

She gasped putting her hand over her mouth. "If he touched it, he would have turned it back into a normal Witchlight."

I nodded "yes which is why I yelled at him... though i may have gone a little overboard. I threw fire at him."

"Well no wonder he ran from the castle. You scared him half to death."

I looker at her shocked. "He left the castle? He swore he would never leave. Of course Nephilim always lie."

"What sane person would stay after being threatened like that? Magnus don't you understand? He left. He went out in the woods at night without any weapons."

I frowned moving over to my wardrobe and opening the doors. Sure enough, Alec's weapons were sitting there untouched, including his stele.

"He can't go out to the woods at night. Without his weapons, the demons will tare him apart."

"Well there's nothing we can do now" Ragnor said walking in the room with his arms crossed.

"Alec has passed the garden. He's out of the castle grounds now. There's no way any of us can stop him."

I frowned pacing the room before stopping, making a decision. "I'm going to go after him."

Both Tessa and Ragnor looked at me like I was crazy. It was Ragnor however, who said it out loud.

"You are crazy! Absolutely insane! You know you can't leave the castle. The Witchlight has a year left of light. You already found out before that when you leave the castle, the light dims more. If you are gone too long, the light will go out all together and we will all have our souls taken."

"I can't just let Alexander be killed by demons. It's my fault he went out there in the first place. I have to save him."

Ragnor went to object but Tessa put her hand on his shoulder, silencing him.

"You better be quick about it then. Alec could be in danger as we speak."

I nodded and quickly ran out.

When I got outside I hesitated at the edge of the garden. If something were to happen to keep me out here too long, everyone will lose their souls. Do I care about Alexander enough to take that risk?

"It's my fault he's out there. I can't just leave him to die. Screw Asmodeous."

I raced out of the garden, heading deep into the woods where I could already hear the screeching of demons.

Damn Shadowhunters and their ablility to be fast even without runes. I walked around the woods for ten minutes calling for Alec and I still hadn't come across him.

It wasn't until I heard a blood chilling scream did I know which direction he was. I headed toward the scream and sure enough, it belonged to Alec.

He was on the ground, a giant claw mark in his side with blood oozing out of it. The blood was dark, showing that the claws were laced with poison and now so was Alec.

"Oh Alexander, I'm sorry" I sighed getting to his level and scooping him up in my arms. "I'll get you back to the castle and heal you, I promise."

I turned back toward the castle hoping to get back as soon as possible but I was stopped by a whole swarm of demons surrounding us.

"This is a low blow even for you Asmodeous. If you think this is enough to stop me, you are even more stupid than I thought."

There were ten demons holding us up and six of them crawled closer hissing and growling at us. I backed up against a tree, wondering how to use magic while also holding Alec.

This is what that demon wants! He wants me to be held off out here until either the witchlight goes out or Alec dies. I wasn't going to let either of those things happen.

The six demons jumped at us and I quickly dunked, making them all fly over my head.I ran then, going pass the four demons that were left.

The best fighting option would be catching the little shits on fire but I can't waist magic. Who knows how deep the poison has gotten in Alec's blood."

I could hear the screeching of the demons chasing us. It's been forever since I was last in these woods so I was completely turned around.

I was beginning to think we were goners but suddenly, a green light shot in the air like a flare gun. It was Ragnor's magic.

"Hang on Alexander. We are almost there."

He didn't answer me. His body was completely limp in my arms. If it wasn't for his raggid breathing, I would think he was dead.

The garden was in sight and just when I was thinking we were home free, a demon grabbed me by the ankle forcing me to fall and drop Alec.

Alec rolled until he was laying flat in the garden. His body would be safe there. The demons can't pass those wards.

Using a little magic, I caught my hand on fire and grabbed the tentical holding on to my ankel, making the creature shreek and let me go.

Quickly, I got up and ran to the garden. The demons tried to follow but the moment they touched the garden they shreeked and backed away, running back into the bushes.

"For god sakes Magnus, what the hell were you thinking" Raphael yelled running up to me with Simon. Simon looked down at Alec on the ground and froze when he saw all the blood. He didn't have experience resisting blood so the moment he saw it, his fangs were out.

Raphael quickly grabbed him, pulling him into his arms and hiding Simons face in his chest.

"You two go get Catarina and tell her to meet me in my room. I'm going to need all the healing magic I can get."

Raphael nodded, pulling Simon inside and I picked Alec up again. Rushing to my room hoping that it wasn't too late to save him.

A/N: Thank you everyone who voted on what the next malec tales should be. There were so many votes on both FF.N and Wattpad.

The next Malec Tales will be Mulan!

it had the most votes, Aladdin having the seond most votes. I will be doing the Anastasia and Aladdin ones but either one being series 3 isn't set in stone. I may get another story idea and change my mind. we will see when the time comes.


	7. Something There

Malec Tales Series 1 Chapter six: Something There.

Alec Pov- Everything is so dark. Why is that? Last thing I remember was running into the woods. It was night time but the moon was bright enough to see where I was going. Why was it so dark now?

Why did I even go in the woods in the first place? Oh yeah, Magnus got mad at me for almost touching his Witchlight and threw fire at me, scaring me almost to death.

You need to wake up. You need to move before you get swept up in the war.

In the war? How would I get swept up in war? There's never been a threat big enough to make Nephilim go to war.

Yes there is. There's a war going on right now. You must open your eyes and see it. See the destruction your ancestors left in their wake.

My eyes felt heavy as led but I needed to know what the voice was talking about.

Slowly I opened my eyes expecting to see the bright blue skies of Idris. Instead, I saw a sky dark with clouds and Ash raining down from who knows where.

I sat up quickly looking around me in complete shock. We were in Idris, there was no doubt about it. I have seen enough maps of our lands to know it. The field around me was different however. There were shops and homes turned to rumble mixing with the ash.

"Where am I? This can't really be Alicante."

"You're injured" a soft familiar voice called from behind me. I turned around and a beautiful lady with light blue skin and pure white hair was standing there looking ahead, concerned.

"Catarina? What's going on? Where are we?"

She wasn't looking at me though, or talking to me. In fact, it was like I was completely invisible to her. She ran passed me to another man laying on the ground close by. I didn't even noticed he was there before.

She got to her knees pulling the man onto her lap, immediately making her hand glow in magic as she placed it on his stomach. There was blood soaking his shirt, getting larger every second.

The man had silver hair with eyes to match and couldn't have been any older than me. I know every Shadowhunter my age though and I have never seen him before.

"I… I came to warn you all of the Claves plan. Charlotte sent William and I to tell Magnus… but it seems we were too late," he wheezed, looking around at the ruins and ash.

Catarina nodded frowning. "Nephilim poured in from all sides. They set fires to every building in Alicente."

Alicente? Where is Alicente? This is the south border of Idris right? That's Alicante.

"What happened here?!" another familiar, panicked voice yelled from behind me. I turned around just as Magnus ran passed me, dressed in torn dirty pants and a black shirt. His face was free of any makeup and his hair was flat with no product in it.

He dropped to the ground next to Catarina and the man, grabbing his hand tightly and looking in his silver eyes. "Who did this to Alicente? How were they able to get passed the wards?"

The Nephilim boy tried to sit up but was too weak. He fell back and Magnus caught him before he could hit his head on the ground.

"James don't try to sit up. You're losing too much blood. Conserve your strength and let Catarina heal you."

James smiled weakly at him and Catarina put more power into healing him, her hands glowing brighter. "This isn't good Magnus. I don't think he's going to make it."

Magnus shook his head "just keep healing him."

James hand shook in Magnus's but his smile didn't waver. "William is here. He's still in the heart of Alicente fighting. The Clave has named us traitors for helping you and the other Downworlders. Will is willing to die in order to save Tessa. He can't fight a Nephilim army alone. You must go stop him before he does something crazy. Tessa can't lose both of us here."

"Tessa isn't going to lose any of you. You are going to live James Carstairs. You and William Herondale both will live. Just because Alicente has fallen doesn't mean we will fall with it."

James looked into Magnus's eyes for a moment before reaching up with his free hand and touching his cheek. "Magnus… I don't think this is a war your kind can win. Alicente was the last slice of Downworlder owned land in Idris. They will take over this town and there will be nothing left for Downworld. You need to gather the remaining Downworlders and take them out of Idris."

"We are not going to just run with our tails behind our legs. There's still a chance we can win this thing."

"Magnus, look around you" James yelled making Magnus flinch. "You said it yourself. Alicente has fallen. There is nothing left for your kind to fight for. Don't let Downworlders go extinct because you were too stubborn to admit defeat-"

James plea was cut off by him coughing up blood. The pain in Magnus's eyes was evident as he watched his friend choke on his own blood.

When he got the coughing under control he smiled weakly at Magnus. "Y-you need to go. You need to stop William before… before he kills himself. Take him, Tessa, and the remaining Downworlders and go to the mundane world. All of you can start fresh there."

Magnus shook his head, tears clinging to the edge of his eyes. "The Nephilim will never allow us to be around mundanes."

James closed his eyes, his face looked pained. "You have to try. It doesn't have to be the mundane world. Just take them somewhere they can be safe. Take Tessa and Will somewhere they can be safe."

The light surrounding Catarina's hands was dimming and she looked up at Magnus shaking her head. "I'm sorry Magnus. He only has moments left."

Magnus shook his head glaring down at James. "We did not cure your addiction to Yin Fen just to have you die in this useless war."

"This war isn't useless Magnus. Nephilim are the ones who started it. The Downworlders just wanted a equal world. Don't let all those people who died, die for nothing."

Magnus wiped his tears on his sleeve. "If we just turn and run then they would have died for nothing. What is the point of being in a war if we don't win?"

James's smile was small as he looking into Magnus's eyes. His own silver eyes getting dimmer.

"Magnus, what is the point of winning a war when no one is alive to enjoy it?"

Magnus seemed struck by the question. It struck me too. He was right. If all but a handful of Downworlders were left, then there wouldn't be much of the new world they fought for.

"Please Magnus, you don't have much time. Go stop William and take him back with you. Alicente was the Homeland of Downworlders. Now that the Clave have concurred it, there is no doubt that they will turn the area into the new City of Glass just to spit in your faces. You can't stay here."

Magnus closed his eyes tight, fighting himself before giving in and standing up. "I'll go try to stop William. Thank you for all you've done to aid us James Carstairs. I will never forget your sacrifice."

He looked at Catarina next. "Take him somewhere more peaceful. I don't want ashes and destruction to be the last thing he sees. Once he has passed, meet me in the center of the woods."

She nodded before using magic to make herself stronger. That's the only reason I can think to why she so easily picked James up and carried him away. Magnus watched them go, taking a moment to compose himself before he turned his back to me and ran toward the center of the still burning city.

I ran after him, screaming out his name but of course, he couldn't hear me. He just kept running until he got to the center of a town square. There on his knees in the middle of the square was another young Shadowhunter with black hair and blue eyes. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to look at Magnus.

"Magnus! Magnus where is James?! I felt the bond break but it couldn't be true! James can't be dead!"

The bond? So this guy was James's Parabatai? If that was the case then James must have died and he felt it.

I was so distracted by the guy sitting on the ground that I didn't notice the group of Nephilim soldiers standing a little ways away from him. They were smirking at him as if he deserved to lose his Parabatai.

As if reading my mind, one of the Shadowhunters yelled, "traitors of the Clave don't deserve to have the Parabatai bond! You're going to die here along with him!"

Magnus glared at the Nephilim but was talking to the guy on the ground when he said, "William. James's dying wish was for me to take you back to Tessa. You can't win here by yourself. Come with me and return to your wife and children."

That's right. This guy is William Herondale. He's the same guy I saw in that portrait with Tessa and their two children.

William stood up, looking down at the ground with his fists clenched. "I'm not running away Magnus. We have fought too hard to give up now."

"Will there is nothing we can do. We need to get somewhere safe. Tessa and your children need you alive. We have lost the war Will. Alicente was all that was left. There's nothing to fight for now."

"I am fighting for my wife and children's rights! That will always be worth fighting for" he yelled glaring at Magnus.

"Will it be worth it when you are dead? You can't leave Tessa alone!"

He shook his head, keeping his back to Magnus. "She won't be alone. She will have you, Magnus. Take care of her and my children for me."

Magnus looked shocked. I was shocked as well. Just like James he was going to sacrifice himself in order to help the Downworlders. I've never seen such selfless Shadowhunters in all my life. No one in my day and age would ever do something like that for anyone.

"William, you can't be serious. You and I both know that I can never take care of Tessa as much as you can. She wants you to stay alive and come back to her. You promised her that you wouldn't die! Are you really going to go back on that promise so easily?"

"You think this is easy for me?! Magnus, there is nothing easy about leaving my family. I won't run away like a coward and let them degrade my wife and children. I know I won't survive so I am asking you to take care of them. Will you do that or not Magnus?"

Magnus stood in silence, his hair blowing in the ash mixed wind. He looked so conflicted with what he should do. Once again tears clung to the corner of his eyes. "I will fight with you. Let me fight along side you and maybe then we will win."

I frowned watching him. Even with Magnus's magic they are still outnumbered. He would die too if he stayed to fight. William must have come to the same conclusion because he shook his head no. "I need you to take care of Tessa. All the remaining Downworlders are going to need you."

Magnus shook his head, tears now streaming down his face. "Why must it fall to me? Why am I the one who carries this war on his back? From the very beginning everyone looked to me to lead them even though I didn't ask them too. Why is it up to me to make sure everyone lives?"

William smiled sadly at Magnus. "I know you didn't ask for this war. No Downworlder did, as didn't Tessa and I. A war is what we got though. I know it's hard to be the hero but it's what your people need you to be. They will need you to lead them and you need to feel up for the task. I believe in you Magnus. Now you need to believe in yourself."

Magnus watched Will in silence for a moment before nodding.

"It was an honor knowing you William Herondale."

Will smile was sad as he looked back at him. "The honor was all mine. Thank you for showing me that Downworlders have worth too. Hopefully the other Nephilim will see it someday as well."

Magnus smiled at William one more time before turning and running back toward the woods. I went to follow him but suddenly I couldn't move. When I looked down I gasped seeing that I was stuck in black muck that looked and smelled like demons blood.

It started out as a small pile constricting only my feet but it quickly spread, rising up like an ocean at hide tide. I turned to look at William Herondale but he was gone. Him and the other Nephilim that he was preparing to fight. Even the burning city and ash was now gone.

The muck rose higher and higher until it was passed my head, making me hold my breath and close my eyes tight.

Once Magnus and the remaining Downworlders are gone, demons will be free to take over both Idris and the mundane world. Another war is coming soon. Only this time, the Nephilim won't be able to win it. They will fall as well and the world will finally belong to me!

That voice again. Who is saying all these things to me? What did they mean another war was coming? I don't understand what's going on.

Without you, Magnus Bane will finally fall. With him out of the way, a new world will be reborn and I will be the leader of it. Nothing and no one will ever be able to stop me! Not even the angel himself!"

The further I sank down, the heavier the muck felt on my body. I thrashed around trying to swim up but it was no use. I was stuck. My lungs started burning from holding my breath for so long and I soon wasn't able to hold it any longer. I opened my mouth to breathe and the blood flooded into my mouth, choking me and making everything around me go dark.

"Alec… Alexander open your eyes." Magnus's soothing voice called, anchoring me back to reality. My eyes snapped open and I gasped for breath, my eyes meeting Magnus's above me. He, Catarina and Tessa were all surrounding me, looking at me with concerned looks on their faces.

I swallowed the dryness in my throat away before asking, "w-what happened?"

Tessa sat on the bed, running her hands gently through my hair that was drenched in sweat. "You ran out into the woods last night and was attacked by a powerful demon. You would have died if Magnus didn't go get you. He brought you back to the castle and healed you along with Catarina."

I stared at her for a moment, letting that all sink in before looking at Magnus again. He just stared down at me silently.

"You threw fire at me" I said simply.

"You were in the war wing. I told you to never go there and you didn't listen." He answered.

"So you throw fire at me? A simple 'hey, get out of my room' would have sufficed."

Magnus shook his head, crossing his arms. "You were going to touch my witchlight. You would have doomed us all if you had. That gives me every right to be angry."

I frowned at him confused, going to ask him what he meant but Catarina held up her hand, stopping me. "Magnus, he is recovering from a demon attack. Stop being so rude to him now that he's awake. You were so worried and panicked while he was asleep."

"You were worried about me" I asked shocked. The thought of Magnus being worried about me seemed a little taboo. Especially since him almost killing me was the whole reason I fled the castle in the first place.

He shrugged glancing away from me. "I risked my life going to get you. It would have been a shame if you died anyway and wasted my time."

"gee, thanks" I mumbled before slowly sitting up, holding my pounding head in my hand.

"No need to thank me. I just hope you won't do anything stupid like that again. I won't always be there to save you."

Tessa and Catarina shook their head disapprovingly at Magnus and I smiled slightly at them before looking down at my waist. I had wrapping around it from where I was injured.

"It feels like a chunk of my side is missing" I sighed touching the wrapping and hissing in pain.

"Well, in a way it is. The demon scratched you pretty good. That wrap is covering up some nasty claw marks. They were pretty deep too."

I stared down at the injury frowning and Magnus watched me before sighing and putting his hands on my shoulders, gently pushing me back to lay down.

"You need more rest Alexander. Get some more sleep and then in the morning you can try to walk around."

His voice was softy, as if he actually was concerned about my health and me pushing myself.

I remembered the dream I had frowning. "Can I ask you a question, Magnus" I asked pulling my covers back up.

He gave me a skeptical look before nodding. "Fine but I have the right to not answer if I don't like the question."

I nodded before asking "was Alicante once called Alicente?"

The shocked looks on all of their faces would have been comical any other time. Magnus stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head asking, "how do you know about Alicente?"

"I had a dream while I was sleeping. Catarina was with an injured Shadowhunter with silver hair and Magnus, you were begging him not to die. He did die though but not before telling you to save William Herondale. You went to try and asked him to come with you because Alicente had fallen and there was nothing left to fight for. He ignored your plea though and went to fight."

They all stared at me shocked. Magnus and Catarina for mentioning Alicente and Tessa because I mentioned her late husband.

Finally Magnus's shocked expression turned to a somber one. "A long time ago Idris wasn't just a Nephilim place to live. There used to be land divided between Downworlders and Shadowhunters. Downworlders main city was Alicente. Slowly the Nephilim took our land away one by one until only Alicente was left. Soon even that was taken from us and was turned into the city of Glass."

"Alicante was made to spit in the faces of the remaining Downworlders? That's just horrible." I said thinking about it.

Magnus nodded. "Nephilim have always found ways to embarrass our kind. Now you see why I didn't take kindly to your siblings showing up here. When the war ended we made a treaty with Nephilim that we would stay away from them if they stayed away from us."

I frowned glancing away. "It's hard to follow a treaty that no one besides you remembers. Why don't you leave this Castle and remind the Clave about the war and the treaty."

Magnus frowned walking away from the bed and standing in front of the window, looking out into the trees. "Believe me Alexander, the Clave knows about us. They do know about Downworlders and the war. They just don't want to acknowledge us."

I frowned more, thinking about that. If that's true then that means my father has been lying to me all this time. Every time I tried to convince him Downworlders were real he always brushed me off. I thought it was because he thought I was crazy. Maybe he denied me for another reason.

"Enough about this. Alec you really need to get some rest. As your nurse I demand it. As for everyone else, get out and let him sleep," Catarina commanded.

Tessa was the first to go but she looked hesitant on doing so. I'm sure she has lots of questions about William.

Magnus walked away from the window, heading toward the door but stopped in front of it, looking back at me. "I'm sorry that I overreacted Alexander. We still have a deal to keep up. I hope when you are healed you won't try to leave again. I didn't peg you as one who breaks promises."

I cocked my head to the side surprised. "Is that your way of telling me that you like having me around?"

He smirked slightly at me. "I'll never tell" he said before walking out of the room.

I smiled slightly, shaking my head before laying down and closing my eyes; this time having a dreamless sleep.

Magnus Pov- "Do I really need to tell you how much of an idiot you are" Ragnor asked the moment I got to my room. He's been standing guard by the witchlight since I ran after Alec.

"If I didn't go after him he would have died. Then we really would have been doomed. He is our last chance to not lose our souls."

Ragnor raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought you didn't want him here. "

I shrugged crossing my arms. "Opinions can change. The kid is growing on me. As long as he doesn't try to touch the Witchlight again then we should be okay."

Ragnor shook his head "speaking of the witchlight. You should see how much you messed up" he said moving away from the rock.

The witchlight was dim. So dim that it didn't look like it was glowing at all.

"What the hell happened to it?!" I yelled pressing my hands against the glass.

"You left the castle grounds Magnus! You knew that this would happen. With it being this dim, I estimate that the light will go out in a week. Two if we are lucky."

"But… but we had half a year left. How can it go out that quickly?" I asked panicking. This was bad! Really, really bad!

"You were out there for almost an hour Magnus. You went out for five minutes before and we lost two months."

I started pacing the room, putting my hands in my hair and clenching it. "This means I only have a week to make Alec fall in love with me! I don't even know if I'm in love with him! If we don't fall for each other then every soul in the castle gets taken by Asmodeous. By my father.

I found out a few years ago that the demon that is trying to take me out of the world also brought me in it. He raped my mother and created me.

I stopped pacing and looked at Ragnor. "Does anyone else know about this?"

He shook his head no and I nodded.

"Don't tell the others about this. As far as they know we still have a year left."

The next day I walked into the study seeing Alec looking over some of the warlock books I gave him. He looked so engrossed in what he was reading and honesty it was adorable.

"You really like reading don't you" I asked suddenly making him jump in surprise. He looked up at me quickly closing the book.

"Are you going to tell on me with Catarina? She told me I wasn't allowed to get up but I got bored just laying in bed all day."

I shook my head walking over and sitting next to him. "As far as she's concerned I never saw you."

Alec smiled slightly at me before opening his book again. "I'm on the chapter about warlocks demon fathers. Do you know who your demon father is?"

I frowned at the question but nodded. "I do but I don't like talking about him."

I expected Alec to push me on the subject like before but instead he just nodded saying, "that's okay. I understand."

Was he afraid that if he pushed me I would throw fire at him again? I really should address that.

"You don't have to worry about me getting mad and throwing fire at you again. I won't try to hurt you."

Alec glanced away thinking before looking at me again. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid. It's not every day fire gets thrown at me."

I nodded. "It would be strange if you weren't a little afraid. You don't have to be though. I won't attack you no matter how mad I get."

"I don't want to make you mad. I know I was wrong for going in the War Wing even though you told me not to. You set boundaries and I didn't respect them."

I smiled surprised he admitted he was wrong. I didn't think Nephilim knew how to do that. Pride and stubbornness is usually in their DNA.

"How about we start fresh from today onwards. Let bygones be bygones?"

Alec nodded stroking the cover of the book he was holding. "I would like that. We got off on a really rocky start."

I nodded watching him, thinking he looked lost in thought. "Is something on your mind?"

He shrugged putting the book down with the other four books sitting next to him. "Just thinking about home. I miss the town library. It wasn't very big and I already read every book there but I felt comfortable there."

I thought about that for a moment before standing up smiling. "Come with me" I said holding out my hand to help him up. He looked at my hand before looking up at me confused.

"Where are we going?"

"Come with me and see."

He put his hand in mine and I helped him off the floor before leading him out of the study, not letting go of his hand. He didn't pull away so I guess he didn't mind.

I led him down the long hallways and he looked around as we went. We passed Simon as we went and I didn't miss the big smile on his face when he looked at our joint hands.

Ignoring him, I stopped in front of two big wooden doors. Alec looked at the doors before looking at me confused. "What's this room?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I just pushed the doors open and gestured for him to go in. He raised an eyebrow in question before starting to walk forward. He stopped and looked back at me when our still joint hands were keeping him from going any further.

I quickly let go of his hand smiling sheepishly at him. "Sorry about that. Go on ahead."

He walked in looking around and I stayed in the hallway until I heard him gasp loudly. I took that as my queue to go inside. Alec was standing in the middle of the huge library, staring dumbfounded by the thousands of shelves' filled to the brink with books.

He turned around looking back at me. His jaw was practically on the floor. "I've never seen such a big library in all my life!"

"I take it you like it then" I asked moving over to a couch sitting by the window. He nodded following and sitting next to me, once again looking around at the shelves.

"This is so amazing. I could only dream about reading this many books."

I shrugged "The only books I read are in the study. I never really looked at what kinds of books are in here. I predict that it's mostly Downworlder books and mundane stories."

That made Alec even more excited if that was even possible. "I've never read stories written by mundanes before. They aren't in the Idris library and dad didn't let me buy books when we lived in New York."

"You thought mundanes wrote those stories about Downworlders didn't you?" I asked watching him get up and walk up to a random book shelf.

He nodded skimming the titles. "I did but now I know Downworlders wrote them. I've always wanted to read mundane fairytales."

"It's been a hundred years since I last read a mundane story. I'm sure they've changed a lot in the years."

He kept skimming the shelves before grabbing a book, looking it over. "Romeo and Juliet? What's this story about?"

"It's a work of Shakespeare. It's one of his most popular stories. It's a tragic love story about a boy and girl torn apart by a family feud."

"Why is it a tragic love story? Don't stories about love usually have a happy ending?" Alec asked frowning.

I shrugged. "Most of the time but not in this case. Romeo pretended to be dead so Juliet killed herself with poison. When Romeo saw she died for him, he used a dagger and stabbed himself to death."

Alec quickly dropped the book putting a hand over his mouth. "That's just horrible!"

I shrugged thinking about it. "It's realistic. Love doesn't always end in happiness. Sometimes bad things happen that tear you apart."

Alec looked down at the book for a moment before looking back at me. "They weren't tore apart though. They both died so they can be together in the end. That's a sign of true love isn't it?"

I shrugged looking out the window. Alec's reflection could be seen through the glass. His eyes shone bright like always.

"I wouldn't know, Alexander. I don't know the first thing about love, let alone true love."

Alec's eyes in the window glanced away before his reflection got closer, until his real body was standing next to me.

"You're telling me that in all the time you've been alive you never fell in love?"

He sat next to me on the couch and I glanced over at him before looking back out the window. The sky was white as if it would start snowing soon.

"Of course I've fallen in love. It was never true love though. Either they didn't want to stay with me or they left me from death. With one, it was both."

He frowned, also looking out the window. "I guess I wouldn't know anything about true love either. I've never dated anyone before let alone loved them. I had a small crush on Jace once but I quickly outgrew that."

"I would hope so. No offense but that Jace guy seemed like a handful. He also had a loud mouth."

I expected him to get angry but to my surprise, he burst out laughing. "Yeah, Jace can be a lot to handle at first. He wears on you after awhile."

"He's a Herondale. It seems that aspect of their personality is genetic," I sighed. He nodded in agreement. "I take it Will Herondale was the same way?"

I nodded, bored of looking at the window and decided to watch Alec instead. He was gorgeous. The sun was setting in a way that shone through the glass of the window and on his face, making his blue eyes even brighter.

"He was a gorgeous man. Nothing compared to you though. You seem to be in a league of beauty that's all your own."

Alec's cheeks turned dark red at my compliment. He glanced around the library avoiding eye contact with me.

"Y-you're wrong. I'm nothing special. Especially compared to someone like William Herondale. He was beyond handsome."

"He was also cocky and idiotic. Your handsomeness seems to come from the inside as well as the outside."

He finally took the chance to look me in the eye. They were hesitant and weary but strong at the same time. I didn't think that was possible but it was there clear as day.

I used to think all Shadowhunters were the same. All of them selfish assholes who had no respect for others. There didn't seem to be a selfish bone in Alec's body.

He's over curious and doesn't respect boundaries, but far from selfish.

"So... since we are starting off on a new foot. Would you maybe consider having dinner with me tonight?"

Alec thought it over for a moment before a playful smirk appeared on his face. "WillI be allowed to eat if I refuse?"

I laughed nodding. "Yes Alexander. I will let you eat dinner even if it's not with me."

He smiled leaning against the window. "That's good to know. It doesn't matter though because I accept your invitation. I would love to have dinner with you."

I was shocked that he actually accepted my invitation. Sure, we were getting along better but I thought it would take a little longer for him to want to dine with me.

"You really want to have dinner with me?" he nodded standing up and walking back over to the book on the floor. He leaned down picking it up before walking back to the shelf to put it away.

"I do. Does seven sound good or is that too late?"

I was still shocked that we were even having this conversation. Alec was really going to have dinner with me. Would he feel disgusted from using plates used by Downworlders? Something tells me that Alec isn't that kind of guy.

"Yeah... yeah Alexander. Seven sounds perfect."


	8. A Tale as New as Us

Malec Tales Series 1: The Nephilim and the Warlock- Chapter Seven: Tale as New as Us.

Magnus Pov- As I made my way to the kitchen I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Alec Lightwood accepted my dinner invitation. How could something so simple make me feel so warm inside?

Maybe it's because the act would be close to unimaginable a thousand years ago. If I asked a Shadowhunter to dinner back then, they would have reared back in disgust and horror.

Not Alexander though. He joked around with me and said he would love to have dinner with me. Love! I don't think anyone has ever said they would love to have dinner with me. Not even the Downworlders I dated in the past. Alec was a whole new creature all together.

"Why do you have that stupid look on your face?" Raphael asked when I walked in the kitchen. Everyone was here and accounted for so it was good that I wouldn't have to repeat myself over and over.

"I have this look on my face dear Raphael, because I have a dinner date with Alexander today."

They all gasped, eyes and mouths open wide. "He agreed to go on a date with you" Simon asked excitedly.

"Well… he agreed to have dinner with me. We never specified it as a date. It's a step in the right direction right?"

Tessa nodded in agreement, she being the only person in the kitchen, besides me, who was still smiling.

"It is progress. We will make sure to cook the best dinner ever made and set up the dinning room to perfection. We will also get the ballroom ready as well. Some elegant music for dancing."

I frowned at that "Maybe no dancing. I don't want to scare Alec off. He doesn't seem like the dancing type."

"If he sees you dance he will definitely be scared away" Ragnor sassed making me flip him the bird.

"Nonsense Magnus," Tessa soothed, putting her arm around mine. "You love to dance. Maybe Alec will appreciate learning a few moves."

"Alec is supposed to be in bed resting, not dancing" Catarina sighed.

"Don't worry so much Cat. You healed him great and he looked like he was doing fine. A little physical activity could be good for him."

"Why is everyone in the kitchen" Alec's voice came from behind us, making us jump in surprise.

"Alexander, how long have you been standing there" I asked, hoping that he didn't hear us talking about dates and dancing.

"I just got here. I couldn't find anyone around the castle so I started searching."

Tessa smiled grabbing Alec's hands. "We will work hard to make your dinner tonight perfect. Until then, how about you and Magnus get some fresh air? It started snowing a little bit ago."

Alec looked at me with hopeful eyes. "Can we go outside? I promise I won't leave the garden."

I nodded smiling, not able to deny Alec anything he asks for. Especially when he looks so adorable asking for it.

"Of course Alexander. You need to wear a coat though or Catarina will have a panic attack" I said snapping my fingers and making a black wool coat appear on him.

He looked it over smiling before grabbing my hand and literally pulling me out of the kitchen.

The fact that he was holding my hand made my face flush. No one has ever made me so flustered over the simplest things.

We made our way outside and Alec let go of my hand, looking up at the snow falling out of the sky. It was light and not thick enough to stick to the ground.

Alec pouted slightly looking down at the ground. "I was hoping it would stick to the ground. I like snow. Jace and I always have snowball fights, and Isabelle and I go ice skating."

This surprised me for some reason. "Somehow Nephilim doing something so mundane shocks me. They would have never done those kinds of things a thousand years ago."

Alec shrugged smiling. "The times have changed you know. Jace always finds a way to make a work day into something fun."

He lost his smile slightly, glancing away and rubbing his arm frowning.

"You miss them I take it" I guessed, watching him. He nodded looking back at me. "Of course I do. Isabelle is my sister and Jace is my Parabatai so he's practically my brother. We have never spent this much time apart before."

I was suddenly feeling really shitty about throwing them in that portal and not letting Alec say goodbye. Maybe we wouldn't have started on such bad terms if I just gave him that chance. A good man would let him leave to be with his family. Sadly, I have too much at stake to be a good man.

Instead, I decided to take Alec's mind off his siblings. My hands glowing blue, I used magic to make the snow fall thicker. Alec noticed, looking back up at the sky with wide eyes before looking back at me.

I smiled slightly at him before flicking my wrist and making the small pond in the garden freeze over.

"What are you doing" he asked walking up to the pond. I followed him smiling. "You said you used to have snowball fights and go ice skating right?"

He nodded, seeming even more surprised when I held out a pair of ice skates to him. He hesitantly took them, looking them over before looking back at me.

"Why only one pair? Aren't you going to skate with me?"

My heart fluttered with happiness at the fact that Alec's first thought was to skate with me. That happy feeling immediately turned to dread though when I fully understood what Alec was asking of me.

"Oh… um… you don't want me skating with you."

"Why not?" He asked sitting on a rock and taking off his boots.

"I've… I've never ice skated before."

Alec paused tying up his skates to look up at me shocked. "You've never skated before? Aren't you a hundred years old?"

"Actually, I'm a thousand years old. I've only lived in this castle for a hundred years."

"I can't believe you've never skated before."

"I've been busy protecting my people and brooding over life's unfairness" I mumbled crossing my arms over my chest.

This made Alec laugh and shake his head. "Right. Well you should stop brooding and come skating with me. You don't have to worry about looking dumb. I won't laugh at you if you fall."

"What makes you think I would fall?" I asked putting my hands on my hips.

He shrugged. "I just assumed that since you've never skated that means you don't know how to balance on ice."

I scoffed at his assumption. I mean… he's not wrong but I would never admit that.

"I assure you Alexander that I have amazing balance. I don't see why that would be any different on ice."

"I think you're underestimating how slippery ice is Magnus" Alec teased, a playful glint in his eye.

"Are you challenging me Alexander?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I am."

Taking his challenge, I snapped my fingers and made another pair of skates appear in my hands.

"You asked for this Alec."

He gasped putting his hands on his face in mock surprise. It was cute but he was pushing his luck.

I strapped on my skates and the moment I stood up again, my legs started wobbling. I couldn't even stand on solid ground with skates on.

Alec put his hand over his mouth hiding a laugh. "Are you sure you want to try getting on the ice? You look like you're already having trouble."

"Don't patronize me Lightwood. I said I can do it and I meant it."

Alec smirked at me before shrugging and getting on the ice. He was as graceful as you would expect from a Shadowhunter. He glided with ease around the pond, showing off by performing a triple axle and landing on one foot, gliding with the other one in the air.

"No one likes a show off Alec" I called out making him laugh and put his foot down. He did a twirl before stopping complete, putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, are you coming on the ice or not?"

"Don't rush me. A real master of the ice paces themselves."

Alec laughed again. I really liked Alec's laugh.

"So you went from never skating before to being a master of ice? How is that possible when you won't even get on it?"

"Fine. You want me to get on the ice? I'll get on the ice."

I took a deep breath before stepping on the thick water. The moment I was on, the ice met with my face. Alec gasped rushing over to me.

"Magnus are you okay? You landed on your face really hard. You're not bleeding are you?"

The pain in my face was nothing to the joy I felt for Alec actually being concerned for me. He asked me if I was okay and didn't even laugh at me.

"I'm alright. Just had a little slip" I sighed pushing myself up on my knees. Alec gasped slightly making me look up at him confused. "What?"

He got on my level taking the sleeve of his sweater and pressing it to my temple. "You're bleeding Magnus. Did you really fall that hard?"

"My head is bleeding? That's surprising."

"Why is that surprising? Do warlocks not normally bleed?"

I shook my head. "We bleed. Ragnor always says that I'm thick headed though."

This caused Alec to laugh even though my blood was soaking up his sleeve.

"You don't have to use your sleeve for this Alec. I can just use magic and heal it."

He smiled looking into my eyes. "Not everything needs to be done with magic. Besides, I don't mind getting my sweater bloody if it's for you. Consider it payment for healing me."

He took a few more minutes to put pressure on my cut before taking a band aid out of his pocket and putting it over the wound.

"Nephilim use band aids?"

He shrugged. "This Nephilim does."

"You surely are one of a kind Alexander."

He cocked his head to the side skeptically. "Is that a good thing? Everyone in Idris always act like it's bad to be different. They're always trying to change me. Especially my father."

This was one of the many reasons I couldn't stand Nephilim. Why would they want to change someone as amazing as Alec? He actually has a heart and is compassionate to others. That kind of human being is rare, let alone a Shadowhunter.

"Well if it makes a difference, I think you are amazing the way you are."

Alec met my eyes again, his face flushing dark red. "Really?"

I nodded. "I wouldn't lie about something like that. Especially to you."

Alec glanced away, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear shyly before he stood up again. "How about I help you? Here take my hands" he said holding his hands out to me.

I bit my lip wondering if this was a good idea. Usually I would kill myself before letting a Nephilim help me with anything. Alec is another story all together though. I feel like I could put my life in his hands and not regret doing it.

Alec pulled me up on my feet once I gave him my hands and he didn't let go as I tried to stay balanced.

"Okay I think I got it" I said letting go of Alec's hands. My feet immediately started slipping and I yelled "I don't got it" as I wrapped my arms around his neck to stay up.

He wrapped his arms around my waist holding me tight against him as he looked down at me with wide eyes.

"By the angel, are you okay?"

I couldn't answer him. I was too lost in his eyes to hear anything coming out of his mouth.

"Magnus… hey are you listening?"

"What? Yeah, totally."

Alec raised an eyebrow at that, not looking convinced. "What did I just say?"

"You said 'wow Magnus you are trying so hard to skate and I'm so proud of you'."

He shook his head smirking at me. "Yeah, that's not even close to what I said. I suggested that we should give the ice skating a rest before you break your neck."

"Oh… Well yeah, that's a good suggestion."

He laughed pulling me off the ice and to the snow where I immediately used magic to turn my skates into fashionable boots.

"Much better. Would you like a pair Alec? Some new boots would be a lot better than those old dirty things you're wearing now."

I was met with silence making me frown and look up. Alec was gone. I looked all around but he wasn't anywhere.

"Alec? I don't like hide and seek" I called out, still looking around.

Something cold suddenly hit me on the back of the head and I gasped loudly, feeling snow go in my coat.

I turned where the snow came from and Alec was bent over hugging his stomach from laughing so hard.

"Did you just throw a snow ball at me" I yelled.

"Yeah I did. What are you going to do about it," He challenged.

"Maybe this!"

My hands glowed blue as I flung them up in the air. About thirty snow balls levitated, spinning around me.

"Oh shoot" Alec cursed, running for cover.

"Running is for cowards Alexander" I yelled before flicking my wrists, making the snow balls go flying forward.

Alec hid behind a tall garden statue. "Using magic is cheating Magnus. It's not fair and you know it."

"All is fair in love and war Alec, and this is war!"

I made more snowballs appear, shooting them all toward Alec's hiding spot. He got low and rolled on the ground to avoid being hit. "How about you drop the magic and fight me like a man?"

"But using magic is much more fun" I laughed aiming low to try to hit him. He got behind another statue before any could touch him.

"Fine, you want to have a fight Magnus? You got a fight."

He came out from behind the statue, tossing four snowballs at me at an impossible speed. They almost hit me but I was able to dodge out of the way.

I flung twenty snowballs at him at once and watched in aw as Alec maneuvered around them. He ran straight ahead at me, yet not a single one hit him. When a high ball came at him, he slid down on the ground. When a low ball went at him, he did flips over them like it was nothing.

I was so shocked by his swiftness that I didn't notice him closing in on me until he was about a foot away.

"Oh shit" I cursed, going to use magic to make a thick snow wall around me. It was too late though. Alec leaped forward and tackled me to the ground, making me Yelp in surprise.

We crashed to the ground together and it knocked the air out of my lungs. Alec laughed laying his head on my chest.

"That's what you get for cheating and also underestimating me."

Catching my breath, I looked down at Alec watching him laugh against me. Suddenly I was breathless for a whole other reason. Alec was smiling and looking like he was having the time of his life.

"Are you okay" he asked sitting up on his knees, getting off it me. I sat up swiping the snow out of my hair.

"I'm fine. In fact I'm great. That was the most fun I've had in a hundred years."

Alec's face flushed but I couldn't tell if it was from what I said or from the cold. He glanced away playing with the sleeve of his coat.

"Same here… I don't remember the last time I had this much fun."

Those words made the butterflies come swarming back in my chest and stomach. Everything Alec says makes me feel young and love-struck.

Alec looked back at me and our eyes met again. I couldn't look away from his blue orbs as we stared at each other in silence. The snow fell in his black hair, his cheeks a rosy pink, and everything about him was stunning and perfect.

I wanted to kiss him.

We were inches away from each other now. All I had to do was lean forward a little bit and our lips would connect.

Before I knew what was happening, I was leaning in. Alec's cheeks darkened but he didn't move away. Our lips were only an inch apart.

"Magnus! Tessa said to come in and get ready for dinner" Simon's annoying voice cut through my romantic cloud, making reality crash down on me.

Alec quickly stood up looking at Simon who was standing on the castle steps smirking at us.

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something" he asked knowingly.

I glared up at him before standing up, brushing the snow off of my clothes. "We will be inside shortly, Simon."

He nodded before going inside, smiling ear from ear.

I shook my head before turning to Alec. "We should head inside. Tessa won't be happy if dinner is late."

He nodded looking a little dazed. "Yeah… yeah dinner."

"You okay" I asked cocking my head to the side.

He nodded moving over to the stairs. "Yes. I'm fine. I'm great."

"You sure?" I asked, watching him go up the stairs. He stumbled on the last step and caught on to the railing to balance himself.

"Yeah. Just a little clumsy" he chuckled, looking a little embarrassed. He looked at me smiling slightly while biting his lip.

"I'll see you at dinner?"

I nodded watching him. "Of course."

He nodded "Good. Good. Well, I'll see you inside."

He turned to go inside but stopped for a moment looking back at me. I smiled slightly at him and he smiled before going through the door.

If I didn't know any better… I would think that Alec was interested in me. He was dazed and flustered like a lovesick puppy.

I shook that thought out of my head immediately. There was no way Alec would ever want me. I'm a Downworlder and he's a Nephilim. It's impossible for him to love me.

Sighing, I ran my hand over my face before going inside. I made my way to my room to get ready for this dinner. Even if it wasn't a date, I was going to enjoy the hell out of it.

"Well look at you. I don't think I've ever seen you with this much pep in your step."

My entire body froze at the voice. I turned toward it and standing by the witchlight was Asmodious.

"What the hell do you want? The light is still on the rock so you don't need to be here."

He shrugged walking in my room and looking around. "Can't a father come see his son every once in a while?"

"Not when the father is a literal demon who cursed his son and everyone he loves with a death sentence. Leave now."

He pretended to think about leaving before shaking his head. "nah, I have some things I need to go over with you. Figured maybe you would like to be refreshed on the terms of our agreement."

"How could I forget? Fall in love with a Shadowhunter and have them love you in return. Fail to do this before the witchlight goes out, everyone in the castle loses their souls."

Asmodious smirked, sitting on my bed. "How is all of that going? I see that you've fallen deeply for Alec Lightwood. It's a shame he doesn't feel the same way."

My hands clenched and unclenched anxiously. "He could love me. He's not like all the others. If any Shadowhunter could love me… Alexander could."

This caused his smirk to grow wider. He stood up, moving over to me and slowly walking around me.

"I do so hope that's the case. I would hate for the man you love to lose his soul."

Those words made me feel cold inside. "What are you talking about? Alec won't lose his soul. He's not part of the curse."

He shook his head sighing. "I'm disappointed in you Magnus. Surely you aren't this stupid. What was our agreement?"

"That I and everyone in the castle…"

My eyes widened in realization.

"Do you understand now? As long as Alec stays here he is a part of the curse. He can leave the castle for now, but if he's here when the light goes out, he will die as well. That also applies to if he rejects you. If you confess your love and he says no, he will be trapped here and will die with you."

"You can't do that! Alec doesn't deserve it!"

Asmodious rolled his eyes. "None of your friends deserved this. The only one who deserved it was you. You decided to be selfish though, and selfishness comes at a price."

He vanished and reappeared in front of the Witchlight. "You may want to decide what you want to do. You have twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours?! I had a week left! You can't just come in here and cut my time like that!"

This made him smirk. "Well actually, I'm the one who made the rules so I can change them. You have twenty-four hours starting from right now. You might want to decide soon how important Alec really is to you. Good luck."

With those final words he vanished again, this time staying gone. I clung on to the table, staring down at the now barely lit witchlight. If Alec doesn't love me, not only are me and my friends going to lose our souls, but so will he.

Alec will die and it will be all my fault.

No! No I won't let Alec die. I am going to have this dinner with him and make him fall in love with me. There has to be a sliver of a chance that he will.

I have to believe that he will.

A couple hours later I paced around the dining room, stressing about everything being perfect.

"What if he changes his mind? What if all this fancy stuff is too much and he gets weirded out? Maybe I shouldn't have dressed so nice. He's most likely just going to wear his sweater again."

Raphael grabbed me by the shoulders before smacking my hard across the face. "Snap out of it Magnus. You are over thinking this. It's okay if Alec doesn't fall for you tonight. We have a week."

I couldn't bring myself to tell them that there were only twenty-two hours left before we all possibly die. They deserve to know that information but I didn't want them to panic. I was panicking enough for all of us.

Tessa stormed into the dining room looking beyond excited. "Alec is ready for dinner. Is everything in here in order?"

Raphael nodded "everything is under control except Magnus. He's panicking."

Tessa smiled up at me putting her hand on my cheek. "Don't be nervous Magnus. Everything will go great tonight. Now come on. You should meet Alec at the stairs when he comes down."

I nodded silently following her out of the dining room and over to the main staircase. She glanced at me as we walked. "Are you okay Magnus?"

I stopped in front of the stairs, looking down at her frowning. This girl has been by my side through everything. She didn't hold a grudge when I failed to save James and Will. She didn't hate me when I got us all cursed. I don't know what I would do without her.

"Listen Tessa… if all this stuff with Alec doesn't work out… I'm sorry."

She put her hand on my cheek again, smiling sadly at me. "I know what the war did to you Magnus. I will never blame you for anything that may happen. Asmodious is a demon. He would have found any reason to hurt you."

"I just hate that you all may die because of me. I fought so hard to protect you and for what? It all may have been a waste."

She shook her head and kissed my cheek. "Never think like that. We all owe our lives to you. No one fought in the war harder than you did."

I just frowned down at her not knowing what to say. She glanced over my shoulder and smiled, whispering "turn that frown upside down. Alec has arrived."

Those words made me turn around and look at the top of the stairs. My eyes widened as they got a look at Alec. He was stunning, wearing a gold suit, a black dress-shirt, and a gold necktie to match. You can tell he attempted to brush his hair back but it just fell back in place.

Guess I wasn't the only one who dressed up for this dinner. I was expecting him to show up in his rundown sweater and faded jeans. Never would I have imagined he could look so handsome.

Alec made his way down the stairs, watching me as he came. Once he was in front of me he looked my outfit up and down.

I was wearing a dark blue suit jacket with gold trim, white pants, and nice black boots.

"You look amazing Magnus" he said meeting my eyes.

"Thank you. You look ten times more amazing than me Alexander. That suit is perfect for you."

He glanced away blushing slightly. "It feels strange to wear this. Shadowhunters normally only wear gold on their wedding day." He glanced over at the gold trim on my jacket, saying, "we're both wearing it."

I looked down at my jacket before looking back at him. "If you aren't comfortable you can go change."

He shook his head no. "It's alright. We don't want dinner to get cold."

I nodded holding my arm out to him. "Shall we go in the dining room then?"

He nodded wrapping his arms around mine and we headed to the room. Tessa followed us smiling. "There is a door in the dining room that leads to the ballroom. I left it open in case you two decide to go dancing."

I glared back at her, having specifically said that I didn't want to scare Alec off with the option of dancing. That was too much like a date.

Alec blushed again, holding on tighter to my arm. "I don't know how to dance believe it or not."

"Well I'm sure Magnus would love to teach you" Tessa suggested before I could speak.

Alec looked back at her before looking up at me. "Could you?"

I looked down at him with wide eyes. "You want me to teach you how to dance?"

"I-I mean, if you want to. It could be fun… but if you don't want to I understand. Forget I asked."

"No we can dance. I just figured you wouldn't be into that sort of thing" I admitted.

He glanced up at me again. "I normally wouldn't but I feel like it would be fun if it was with you."

My heart skipped about ten beats. I'm surprised I wasn't dead from how long my heart stopped in it's tracks.

He has to have feelings for me. It's the only reason I can think of for how he can say such things.

Maybe it's just my last shred of hope stretching out as far as it can. Even so, I need to take a chance on it. I need Alec to love me as much as I love him.

That thought made me stop in my tacks, also making Alec stop as well. He looked at me confused but I couldn't move.

I just admitted to being in love with Alexander Lightwood. A Shadowhunter. I really was in love with this beautiful person. We haven't known each other for long, and sure, the curse is what pushed me to try to be with him. Still, I have a feeling that if the situation was different and the world was fair, I would have still fallen in love with Alec.

"Magnus? Hey, are you alright" Alec asked watching me frowning.

I looked down at him wanting to just let all my feelings pour out of my mouth. I didn't though. There was too much at risk to just blurt everything out. I had to wait for the right moment to tell him and hope to God he felt the same way.

"Sorry, I don't know why I stopped. Let's go eat" I said leading him the rest of the way to the dining room.

He watched me skeptically until we entered the room. When we walked in, his attention was immediately on the décor of the room. Tessa went all out on decorating; getting out the silver China and utensils. The table cloth was pure white and our 'throne' chairs were sitting on each end of the table.

Alec frowned and dread hit me like a truck. What was he frowning at? Was the décor really too much? Was this too much like a date?

"Why are you frowning Alec?"

He looked up at me. "Our chairs are so far apart. Can't we just sit next to each other? It would be easier to talk."

Once again, the dread was replaced with those damn butterflies I'm getting used to. Alec wanted to sit closer to me. He wanted us to be as close as possible to talk together as equals. The thought almost brought tears to my eyes but I wouldn't let it happen.

Shadowhunters hated having dinner with me let alone sitting next to me at the table. They always wanted to sit as far as possible. I should have known better than to assume Alec would be anything like that.

"There are plenty of chairs around the table. You two can choose wherever you want to sit," Tessa suggested.

Alec let go of my arm and walked up to the table, looking for the best place to sit. Deciding on two chairs in the very middle of the table, he sat in his before pulling mine out and patting it, inviting me to sit.

I smiled walking over to him and sitting down.

"What's on the menu tonight," asked Alec. "Catching you on the ice and destroying you at snowball fighting has me starving."

"Oh, we have jokes now," I asked smirking at him.

He shrugged smirking back at me. "I'm just saying that for a thousand year old warlock, you don't have much game. It must come with old age."

"Wow, who is this Savage and what has he done with my sweet Alexander?" I asked laughing.

It dawned on me that I called him 'my Alexander' and I was going to freak out but Alec didn't even bat an eye at it. He just continued smirking at me.

"I only joke like this to my closest friends. You should be honored."

"Believe me I am," I admitted making him blush.

I considered myself beyond honored and lucky to have Alec think of me as someone close to him. The fact that he said friend though makes me worry. If I get friend zoned then what am I supposed to do?

He cleared his throat before looking at the food now on his plate. We were so lost in our banter that we didn't even notice Tessa set our food on the table.

Alec grabbed his fork and dug into his dinner. I made sure to conjure up some fresh lamb since it was his favorite. Simon somehow got that information out of him.

He moaned in delight as he savored the flavor. "By the Angel, this is the best lamb I have ever had. How did you get it?"

I shrugged "I can summon things from outside. Lets just say that a butcher place in Chicago is missing a pound."

"Stealing is wrong Magnus" Alec chastised behind a mouth full of food.

I laughed at him, shaking my head before saying "it's hard not to steal when you can't leave your home to buy things. I have no modern money."

He nodded taking a drink of some red wine. "I guess that's true." He looked at his wine glass surprised. "This is delicious too. You have really good taste Magnus."

I shrugged "when you live long enough you know all the best stuff. I believe you said it's my age showing."

He smiled at me, using his fork to flick a grape from his fruit salad at me.

"Looks like someone else's age is showing. You are acting like a child Alec" I noted, trying to look serious but I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I usually don't act like this. Not even with Jace. Maybe I'm just really comfortable around you."

"It makes me happy that you can be yourself around me. I like this side of you."

Alec smiled at me again before going back to eating. I ate as well, beyond excited that this dinner was going so well. It was raising my hopes higher every minute.

Once our plates were empty piano music started playing. We both looked toward the ballroom seeing Tessa playing the piano. She was playing the only song William got to teach her before he died.

"That music is beautiful. I don't think I've ever heard it before" Alec said softly.

I nodded looking back at him. "That's an original piece made for Tessa from William Herondale."

"Those two loved each other very much didn't they?"

I frowned thinking about it. "They did but so did Tessa and James. The three of them had a strange relationship. Both men died for her honor."

"I can't decide if that's romantic or tragic. I can see where they came from, I guess. I would easily die for Isabelle or Jace."

A question was burning in my throat, wanting to claw it's way out. It hung on my tongue but I wouldn't let it get passed that.

Would you die for me?

It was a stupid question. Of course Alec wouldn't die for me. I'm not important enough for such an honor. I wouldn't want him to die for me but just thinking that he cared enough about me to do it made me feel special.

Stop fooling yourself Magnus.

"Magnus… hello earth to Magnus. Are you listening to me?"

"What? Oh, sorry Alec. What did you say?"

He shook his head smirking slightly. "You seem to make a habit of zoning me out. Am I that boring to listen to?"

I was quick to put that idea out of his head. "No! I love hearing what you have to say!"

He blushed, glancing away and biting his lip. I've come to notice it was a nervous quirk of his. Kind of like pushing a strand of his hair behind his ear is.

"I asked you if you wanted to dance now."

"Oh, yes let's dance" I say standing up. I pull his chair out for him and he thanks me before following me into the ballroom.

The ballroom was the biggest room in the castle. The floors were made of marble and there was a huge Crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling.

Alec stared up at it in aw. "Wow. I've never seen such a big chandelier before. I don't think I've seen a room this big before."

"I made this room with the intention of having parties. When the curse fell upon us… there wasn't much to celebrate anymore. This room hasn't been used in a hundred years. I'm sure magic is the only reason it's still in such great shape."

Alec closed his eyes and held out his arms slowly twirling around the room. I watched him confused. "what are you doing?"

He shrugged "I'm trying to imagine what a party in here a hundred years ago would be like."

This made me smile. "You won't figure it out like that."

He shrugged but didn't stop. I watched him amused with his tactic. It was a strange effort but an effort nonetheless.

I flicked my hand making orchestra music start to play. Alec stopped spinning but didn't open his eyes yet. I used my other hand to make projections of people dancing around the ballroom.

The sight of it all made me feel a little choked up. There was a ballroom in my mansion in Alicente and every night it looked like this. People in suits and gowns dancing around to beautiful music. Every day used to be a party before the war started. I really miss those times.

Alec finally opened his eyes and he seemed breathless as he looked around at everything.

"This is amazing" he whispered, taking it all in before looking over at me. To my surprise there were tears prickling on the edges of his eyes.

Smiling sweetly, I walked up to him and wiped the tears away.

"It's overwhelming huh?"

He nodded looking up at me. "Is this what your world used to look like?"

I nodded taking one of his hands and placing his other hand on my shoulder. He blushed again as I put my hand on his waist.

We started moving together around the room slowly. Alec didn't know what he was doing so of course he watched his feet. I smiled at him before looking around again, getting lost in the atmosphere.

It was like being pulled back in time. Everything felt so real and with Alec here with me, it felt so right. Any world with Alec in it felt perfect.

How have I fallen so fast and so hard?

"What are you thinking about" Alec asked looking up at me. I shrugged looking in his eyes. "Thinking about the past. About how things used to be. It's been so long since I let myself think of the good times."

Alec looked around smiling "With a life like this I bet it was perfect."

"No life is perfect Alexander. It was pretty close to it though. It would have been perfect if I had you there."

The words slipped passed my lips before I could stop them and Alec looked up at me with wide eyes, his face flushed.

I bit my lip thinking now would be a better time than any to tell him. "Can I talk to you somewhere private?"

He looked around us seeing the illusion was gone, as was Tessa.

"We are somewhere private."

I grabbed his hand just leading him out of the ballroom and up the stairs. Alec's eyes widened when he noticed we were going to the war wing.

"Why are you taking me to the war wing?"

I didn't answer him. Instead I led him to my room and outside to the balcony where the witchlight sat in it's glass.

Alec looked at the witchlight seeming surprised by how dim it was now. There were now twenty hours left until it would go out completely.

He looked away from the stone and walked up to the edge of the balcony, looking over the trees to the city of Alicante. It's the only spot in the castle where you can see it.

The look of longing in Alec's eyes were plain as day as he looked at his home. He missed it. He missed his life and his family. From what he told me, his family is everything to him.

I took that away from him.

"What did you want to talk to me about" he asked turning toward me and leaning on the balcony.

I looked down at the witchlight wondering what I should do. Should I take a chance and tell Alec how I feel? I don't think I can handle dying with a broken heart.

Do I really want to give a Shadowhunter this power over me? Him rejecting me feels worse than death. Do I want to risk it?

Here I am being selfish again. My friends lives are in danger and all I can think of is my fragile heart. That and saving Alec.

It's too late to save my friends but not Alec. He still has a chance to leave. If he says no to me then he is trapped here with us. I don't want Alec to die no matter if he likes me or not.

"Alec… I brought you up here to say goodbye."

Alec's eyes were wide as he stared back at me. "I don't understand."

I turned my back to him, not able to look at him while my heart was shattering in pieces.

"You paid enough for what your siblings did. You don't deserve to be stuck here forever. You're sweet and like no one else I have ever met. For that reason… I'm setting you free."

Alec stared at me in shock before looking toward Alicante. He kept looking back between his home and me. The last sliver of hope made me think he was torn.

How amazing would that be if Alec told me he wanted me and not the world. It's false hope on my part. No Shadowhunter would ever choose a Downworlder over the world.

"I'm really free?" he asked obviously shocked.

I nodded still not able to face him. This isn't what I wanted at all. I wanted to beg him to stay of his own free will and tell me that he loves me as much as I love him.

God did I love him. I never imagined that I could love anyone this much. It happened though and it hurt more than anything else I've ever been through in my life.

And God damn, I've been through a lot of messed up shit.

"Yes Alexander. I'm letting you go, so please just go."

I went back into my room, opening my wardrobe and pulling out his bow and arrows. Alec was standing behind me when I turned around and handed him his stuff.

He looked down at the weapons in his arms before looking back up at me, meeting my eyes. His blue eyes seemed confused and a little sad. Then again, maybe the sadness was just in my mind. I was desperate for him to tell me he didn't want to go.

He bit his lip looking away again before sighing and looking back at me. "I'll come back to see you. I promise."

A part at me screamed to tell him about the curse. To tell him that this was most likely the last time we would ever see each other again.

"I believe you Alec."

He wrapped his arms around my neck giving me a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist squeezing him as tight as possible. I never wanted to let him go but knew that I had to.

"Goodbye Alexander."

He let me go, looking at me for a long moment before turning around and leaving the room. I watched him leave until he was out of sight. Once I couldn't see him anymore I walked out to the balcony again.

I stopped in front of the Witchlight looking down at it, feeling like my heart died inside my chest. I had twenty hours left of life but I might as well be dead now.

Everything worth living for is gone.


	9. Kill the Beasts

Malec Tales Series 1: The Nephilim and the Warlock- Chapter Eight- Kill The Beasts!

Tessa Pov- "Magnus what's wrong… tell me what happened."

I didn't understand. Alec and Magnus looked so happy when I left them dancing in the ballroom. Now Magnus was sitting on the balcony floor, hugging his knees and hiding his face in them.

He was crying. I could tell by the way his shoulders were shaking. Magnus never let's anyone see him cry. Not even me.

Magnus looked up, trying to sniff away his tears but it didn't help. His eyes were bloodshot, his lip quivering. I don't think I've ever seen him like this before.

Sitting in front of him, I reached out and started rubbing his back. "Calm down and tell me what happened."

"Asmodious showed up today and decided to change the rules of the curse. He cursed Alec as well and said that if he rejected my confession or was still here when the witchlight goes out, then his soul will be taken too. I didn't want to risk it so I set Alec free. I know I'm trading your lives for his but I just couldn't let Alec die if there was still a chance to save him."

"So Alec is leaving? You didn't confess your feelings for him?"

He shook his head no, once again hiding his face in his knees. "If he rejected my confession he would be trapped here. I couldn't risk that possibility."

I nodded in understanding. "Maybe Alec will realize he wants to be with you and he will come back. He has a week to change his mind."

Magnus shook his head no. "Asmodious gave me twenty-four hours to make Alec fall in love with me. There are only twenty hours left. It's over now Tessa. We are all going to die and it's going to be my fault. I'm so sorry."

The shock of the time cut subsided as I watched Magnus put his face in his hands and wail loudly. He was eating himself up inside because he couldn't save us. It doesn't help that he's heartbroken over Alec leaving.

Shushing him softly I pulled him close and wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"It will be okay Magnus. Everything… everything will be alright."

He cried harder, now hiding his face in the crook of my neck. It wasn't going to be alright. We were all going to die and there was nothing any of us could do about it.

Still, I held Magnus tight and supported him while he cried. Just like he has done for me so many times.

Alec Pov- I sat on my bed looking over the room that was supposed to be my prison, one more time.

Magnus set me free. He told me I could go home to my family. What spired his change of heart all of a sudden?

We were having so much fun dancing and joking together. It was the most fun I have ever had in my life and it made me forget everything about the outside world.

The thought of that scared me a bit. How could I so easily forget about Isabelle and Jace? How could I even think for a moment that being here was better than being home?

It was a shocking thought that crossed my mind as Magnus and I danced together. While looking in his eyes I thought how wonderful it would be to stay like this forever.

No Shadowhunter duties, no becoming Inquisitor, no chasing after Isabelle and Jace to keep them out of trouble. Just Magnus and I together in a moment of pure perfection.

"I'm such a fool" I sighed, glancing over at the journal sitting on my bed. I still haven't figured out all the secrets of this journal. Worst of all, it's become clear that the Clave is hiding something. My father is hiding something from me.

Magnus says that it's impossible that the Clave doesn't know about Downworlders. Nephilim never skip the chance to brag about winning so why did they keep the war under wraps?

I remember the voice that appeared in my dream while Catarina was healing me. It told me that I needed to get up and fight. That another war was coming and I needed to learn from my kinds past mistakes.

How could another war be coming? Besides the Clave, no one else knows about them.

"Enough thinking about this. I need to get home" I sighed, standing up again.

Mom and Dad must be wondering where the heck I've been. Maybe Jace and Isabelle tried to tell them but knowing my parents they wouldn't believe it. At least, dad would pretend not to believe it.

I packed the journal and a few other books, hoping Magnus wouldn't mind me taking them. He gave me a whole library so I'm sure taking a few of those books wouldn't be a problem.

Once I had my weapons and books packed, I took a deep breath and left the room. As I walked down the hallway, a tightening feeling twisted in my gut. Why was I feeling this way? I can finally go home, so why?

Everyone was gathered by the front door, all wearing somber faces. All but Raphael, Ragnor and Simon. Ragnor's face was void of any emotion. Raphael looked angry while Simon just seemed upset and if I didn't know any better… scared.

He looked at me frowning before turning away and hugging Raphael, hiding his face in his neck. To my surprise Raphael wrapped his arms back around Simon and ran one hand through his hair in a soothing manner.

Something tells me Simon being upset is more than just me leaving the castle.

"Do you have everything you need" Magnus's voice came from the stairs.

I turned around to look at him and frowned seeing his face. It was completely blank of any emotion, just like when we first met.

Seeing that face felt wrong. I wanted to drop my things, run to him, and cup his face in my hands; begging him to smile at me.

Magnus's smile could light up the whole world. It's so vibrant and beautiful. A part of me knew that getting a smile from Magnus was something I shouldn't take for granted. He was so broken and it was such a rare thing.

"Yeah… I took a few books. I hope you don't mind. If you do then I will give them back but I figured since I can't use the library anymore…"

I just closed my mouth, having no idea why I was rambling on.

Magnus shook his head. "It's alright Alec. If I could I would let you take the whole library with you. Maybe you can come get a little at a time to take home."

I nodded at that. "I mostly want to come see you."

That made Magnus smile but it was sad. Why was the idea of him being sad making my insides turn? It felt like I had a knife in my gut and it was twisting with every second I stood here.

"I have a request in exchange for your freedom Alec."

This confused me. "What is it?"

His smile got even sadder if that was even possible. "I want you to live life the way you want to live it. Don't listen to your father and don't stay in one place. Travel the world and see as much as you can. See it all for me okay?"

I just nodded, not having the words to answer him properly.

Tessa walked down the stairs but Magnus didn't budge. He stayed where he stood, now wearing that blank expression again.

Tessa wrapped her arms around my neck, standing on her tip toes so she could hug me properly. "It was an honor getting to know you Alec. Thanks for telling me that the Herondale bloodline isn't dead. I never knew if my children were killed after the war."

I hugged her tight. "Thanks for helping me with the journal" I whispered in her ear.

She held me tighter before letting me go and wiping away a tear. I smiled at her before looking at everyone else. "I'll see you all soon."

Raphael rolled his eyes, no longer holding Simon. Now he just had his arm around his waist. "Not likely" he seethed coldly.

I frowned at him confused but Magnus didn't give me time to ask.

"You should head out Alec. It's almost dark and the demons will come out once the sun is completely down. You don't have a big window of time."

He was right. We had a pretty early dinner that started around six. Now It was seven and the sun was almost gone, making it twilight.

I nodded putting my bag over my shoulder and pulling out a seraph blade just incase. "I'll see you all soon," I said again; not really sure why I felt the need to stress it. Maybe it's what Raphael said.

Taking a calming breath, I turned away from everyone and went to the big double doors, pushing them open and walking outside.

I was so ready to leave this place yesterday. Hell, I left this place terrified that I was about to be killed. It's hard to believe what a day can do.

In just one day Magnus and I bonded. We read books, he gave me a fucking library for angels sakes, we played in the snow and shared a great dinner together.

How can I go from hating someone with everything I have, to not wanting to ever leave them again?

Well, I guess I never really hated Magnus. Hate isn't the word at all. I was frustrated with him that's for sure. He locked up the two people I love above all else and then he didn't let me say goodbye when I took their place. He wouldn't let me eat dinner and almost burned me to a crisp for touching his stuff.

He was a complete asshole who never gave me the benefit of the doubt because I was a Shadowhunter and he didn't trust me as far as he could throw me.

Even so, on the rare occasion that he smiled, it made me feel good that I could make it happen. When he laughed, his face lit up and I got little butterflies in my chest and stomach.

When he did talk about the war, the sadness in his eyes made me want to pull him close and hold him until he felt better, if he ever could feel better.

What kind of feelings are these?

I stopped outside of the castle, looking at the now closed doors one more time.

"Don't look back Alec. Your family needs you. You'll see Magnus again soon."

I tried to convince myself, but that feeling of dread wouldn't go away. Especially when it came to seeing Magnus again. Every time I thought that, the dread got worse.

Even so, I turned back around and kept walking, leaving thoughts of Magnus and Downworlders behind for now.

The shocked look of Isabelle and Jace's faces when I walked in the door was priceless. There eyes were practically popping out and mouths wide open.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in New York for a mission" I scolded, feeling good about being able to play the big brother role once again.

Tears came to Isabelle's eyes as she threw herself at me, hugging me tightly and crying into the coat Magnus gave me.

"How could we stay in New York when you were trapped with a monster? Why would you give yourself up like that Alec? Just because you don't think you're needed here doesn't make it true!"

"It was between the two of you and myself. The world needs the two of you way more then it will ever need me. It was a sacrifice I would make a hundred times over. Also, that 'monsters' name is Magnus and he's nothing of the sort."

Jace and Isabelle both looked shocked by that last comment.

"You're kidding right," Jace asked raising an eyebrow. "The guy threw me in the air, locked us up, and then threw us in a portal without giving us the chance to talk you out of your foolish choice to give yourself up. His eyes were hard and lifeless. Everything about him screamed monster."

I sighed knowing nothing I say will get through to these two. They wouldn't understand that Magnus was torn apart by war and had all the trust ripped out of him. They wouldn't see a man who does everything in his power to please everyone around him. To protect everything around him because it's all he has.

I understand. The lengths you go to, to protect the ones you love. The feeling of being around a group of people yet still feeling so alone. Everyone around you looking down on you, expecting something out of you that you can't or don't want to give them. I understand Magnus all too well.

"Alexander! Where in the angels name have you been" my father yelled walking in the living room. I looked over at him frowning, wondering what I should say.

It seems I didn't need to say anything. Jace was already on it.

"He got out of that warlocks clutches no thanks to you!"

Father sighed, shaking his head. "You got your Parabatai and sister playing your Downworlder games now Alec. I'm not too happy about it. The fact that you are here though means you've given up on this game and are ready to be serious, I hope."

I just stared at him, not going to argue with him. I would definitely have a talk with him tomorrow but I was too tired to hash it all out tonight.

"I'm going to bed. Please no one disturb me" I sighed, turning away and going to my room. Once there, I locked the door and changed into pajama pants and a old T-shirt. The thought that Magnus would complain about how awful it looked made me smile a bit.

Every little thing was making me think of Magnus and it was crazy. We had one good day together. One day! The rest were just us picking fights with one another. How can just one day change how I feel about someone?

How do I feel about Magnus?

I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to think about that. It doesn't matter how I may have felt about Magnus. I'm a Shadowhunter and have my own duties to uphold and life to live.

 _Live life the way you want to live it. Don't listen to your father and don't stay in one place. Travel the world and see as much as you can. See it all for me okay?_

Magnus's words made me open my eyes again. See the world? How amazing would that be to go do the things I have always wanted to do. Being locked away in that castle taught me that life is short. You never know what's going to happen. I need to stop wasting my life away trying to please everyone else. Tomorrow I tell my father that I'm leaving Idris.

With that thought in mind, I once again closed my eyes and this time drifted off to sleep.

 _I stood on top of the Eiffel Tower taking in the amazing view of Paris. Paris was the first place on my traveling bucket list and everything about it was as perfect as I imagined it would be._

 _"Have you ever seen anything so amazing?"_

 _Strong arms wrapped around my waist and I leaned into warmth as a chin fell on top of my shoulder. Magnus smiled looking over everything, taking it all in._

 _"It's changed a lot since I last visited but it's all still beautiful."_

 _I nodded leaning into him some more making him turn his head and kiss my temple. I laughed, turning to look in his eyes happily._

 _"I'm so glad I got to see this with you."_

 _He smiled back at me, looking back in my eyes. "So am I. This wouldn't be as amazing without you."_

 _He leaned in closer and I closed my eyes leaning in to give him a kiss. My heart raced at the thought of it but after a few minutes, the excitement fell. My lips were met with empty space._

 _When I opened my eyes Magnus was gone. I looked around but he was nowhere to be seen._

 _"Magnus? Magnus, where did you go?"_

 _The sound of chilling laughter filled he air and I looked up seeing a man standing on top of the Eiffel Tower. He was terrifying with pale skin pulled over bony cheeks, catlike eyes, and a barbwire crown around his head._

 _A body laid limp in his arms. It took me a moment to realize it was Magnus. My eyes widened in horror as he grabbed him by the arm and dangled him off the side of the tower._

 _"No don't! Stop" I yelled, not knowing what to do. This demon was obviously high level and I didn't have any weapons. Why didn't I bring any weapons?!_

 _The demon snickered before saying "oops" and letting Magnus go. He fell fast and I gasped running to be under him to catch him. I reached up my arms and the moment Magnus landed in them, he turned into dust._

 _The dust sunk to the ground and I fell with it onto my knees._

 _What the hell just happened?!_

 _"It's too late to save him Shadowhunter! He's already dead" the demon yelled before vanishing, his laugh echoing in the air._

 _I stared up at the empty sky before looking back down at the dust scattered on the ground. This dust was Magnus? No it couldn't be Magnus. That would mean he was really dead. It would mean that I would never be able to see his smiling face again._

 _"No. Magnus no" I cried, clenching the dust in my hands. This couldn't be happening. We were so happy a second ago. We were together and happy like we were meant to be, so why did this have to happen?_

 _"Magnus… please don't go. I love…"_

My eyes shot open, cold sweat dripping down my face. I shook with chills as I sat up in bed, staring off into space.

What was that dream and more importantly… what was I about to say?

I love.

Those words hung in the air as I remembered the dream. Who was that man and why did he do that to Magnus? Was this dream like the last one? Was it trying to tell me something?

I love…

What did that mean? What was I starting to say?

Shaking my head, I grabbed my witchlight and lit it up. There's no way I can go to sleep after having a dream like that.

Grabbing my bag, I pulled out all the books I brought with me, including the journal. I set the other books aside and put the journal on my lap, running my fingers against the smooth leather cover.

The Clave was hiding so many secrets and I was the only person who knew anything about it. It's not like I can go to anyone for help with this. It's not like they would ever believe me. Isabelle and Jace might but there isn't much just the three of us can do.

"What would you do," I asked, looking down at the journal again. What would M.B do in this kind of situation? Who even was M.B anyway?

Tessa made it sound like he died in war but she was also so cryptic about it. I don't understand what she was trying to tell me.

Still wondering what the mysterious author would do, I opened the journal and read a passage in hope for some inspiration on what to do next.

 _January, 29th, 1816_

 _Today Tessa used her power to change into another, to get us into the Nephilim archives. I used a glamour to get in undetected, but I needed her angel blood to be able to open the doors._

 _The plan originally was to have Will and James sneak in and get the inside dirt for us but sadly my only Nephilim allies have fallen. James told me to give up and save the rest of my kind and I plan too._

 _I have a castle conjured up in the middle of the woods completely glamoured away from the Nephilims eye. It's our last stitch effort to stay alive but I couldn't retreat without trying one more time to win._

 _I thought that if I got the Nephilim's secrets, it would somehow give us a fighting chance._

 _Ragnor told me it would be pointless and for once in my long life, I think I should have listened to him. There was nothing on the Clave or weaknesses they may have. The most I found was their Mortal Sword but even that was guarded by angelic runes._

 _What we did find was a ton of information on us. They knew every weakness possible for every type of Downworlder. Even for warlocks and only a hand full of people knew how to weaken us._

 _Either there was a rat among us or they got the help of a Greater Demon. Nephilim were all about their all powerful angel, so the thought of them turning to a demon for help seems almost unthinkable._

 _Almost._

 _Nothing is impossible. If there were a group of Shadowhunters that wanted us gone desperately enough to call upon a demon, I wouldn't doubt that they would do it._

 _The real question is how? It would have had to be a really powerful demon. A creature with the same level of powers as one of the kings of hell._

 _The Nephilim couldn't possibly have the guts or power to do that… right?_

 _I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is that my last effort to win this war has failed._

 _I have failed._

 _What is the point in trying anymore? What's the point in anything? Tessa keep's telling me that I did everything I could and everyone is grateful for my effort._

 _What is there to be grateful about? They lost all their friends, family, and loved ones._

 _Raphael was so distraught over losing all his clan that he turned a mundane. A young man named Simon Lewis. He's at the castle now but I don't know how to help him and neither does Raphael. He was the youngest in his clan, he doesn't know how to help new fledglings._

 _Everything is falling apart and Tessa keep's telling me to just be happy that I'm still alive._

 _How can I be alive when I don't have a life to live?_

 _It's all too late._

 _I have to write a letter of surrender after I finish writing this. It's all over once that letter is sent. A treaty will be formed and the Shadowhunters will be the ones who decide what goes in it._

 _The only demands I plan to make are that the rest of our kind be left alone. Let's hope they have enough respect to let us have at least that._

 _This may be the last time I write in here. I'm ready for this war to be over and this journal just feels like a horrible reminder of it._

 _I once again find myself wondering if anyone will ever read this. Will there be someone out there who remembers me?_

 _I can only dream._

 _January, 29th, 1816 – Magnus Bane._

I turned to the next page, and then the next. Sure enough, the rest of the journal was completely blank.

"He really didn't write anymore?"

Turning back to the last entry, I skimmed through his words again. My eyes stopped on the words 'will there be someone out there who remembers me?'

I bit my lip staring at the page for a moment before turning the next page and grabbing my pen off my bedside table.

The tip of the pen glided across the page in the neatest writing I could manage. I looked over the words feeling kind of stupid for writing them. It's not like they can mean anything to him now.

 _I'll remember you._

The words were in big cursive letters in the middle of the page.

"I wish it would have helped him some how" I sighed before closing the book and standing up.

The moment I was on my feet, something clicked in my brain, the shock of it making me sit back down on the bed.

I grabbed the journal again reading and rereading the final entry over and over again. Certain words stuck out to me.

 _'James told me to run and save my people.'_

 _'I made a castle in the middle of the woods.'_

 _'Raphael turned a mundane named Simon.'_

I turn back to past entries, skimming through them and sure enough, Ragnor and Catarina were also mentioned. How had I not noticed that before?

One more name stuck out to me in the final entry. I didn't notice it when I first read it but now I don't know how I missed it.

The journal didn't end with the usual M.B. Now there was a name. That name was Magnus Bane.

Magnus Bane?

Magnus?

The journal fell from my hands making it fall to the floor with a slight thump.

M.B was Magnus. Magnus was the author of the journal this entire time? I was going in circles trying to figure out who wrote it and he was right in front of me the entire time?

Tessa lied to me. She told me that the author of the journal had died. Well, she told me that the war had killed him. I assumed that meant he died.

Magnus is nothing like the man who wrote these entries. M.B was such a sweet guy and was so full of Hope for a future and love.

Could that really have been Magnus? Could the war really have changed him that much?

"I need to talk to him about this. There are so many questions I need answers to."

Even saying that, I felt hesitant on going back so soon. Magnus seemed upset by my leaving. He was cold and stoic toward me but his eyes said it all. He didn't want me to go.

"Maybe that is just my wishful thinking. Why would Magnus want me to stay?"

Sighing, I laid down on the bed throwing my arm over my eyes.

"This is all so confusing."

The sound of a bedroom door opening and closing took me out of my hectic thoughts. The noise was too far to be one of my siblings. It had to be one of my parents.

As silently as possible I got up and peeked out of my door, looking down the hall to see what was up. My father was dressed in gear and glanced around before heading down the stairs.

Where would he be going this late that makes him have to be dressed in gear?

Deciding that this couldn't be ignored, I silently slip out of my room and follow him. As he makes his way outside I have to fall to the ground a few times to avoid being seen. It seems to work because he doesn't stop walking to make sure he isn't being followed.

He finally stops in the middle of the woods where four other Shadowhunters we're there waiting. I recognized them as members of the council and close friends of my father. Jace's dad Stephen Herondale, Hodge starkweather, and Valentine Morgenstern.

Valentine lived in New York and barely ever came to Idris. Him being here was unnatural.

"I got word that your son has returned. Do you think he actually came across the castle," Hodge asked crossing his arms, looking at my father.

"I'm certain that he met the Downworlders. It's inconvenient since he already had his nose poking around in Downworlder books."

I frowned leaning against a tree and holding my breath. They were talking about the Downworlders. They were talking about me!

"Should we call him to make sure our plans aren't in danger" Stephen Herondale asked, confusing me.

What was he talking about? What plans?

My father nodded taking a bag off of his shoulder and starting to pull out some things. Leaning forward, I squinted my eyes trying to see what it was.

There were candles and a jar of some kind of ash looking substance. Usually that stuff is only needed to… to summon demons.

 _The only way Nephilim could know our secrets is if we have a rat among us, or if they called upon a Greater Demon._

That's what Magnus said in his journal. Could they have really gone against the rules of the angel and summoned a demon?

That's what appears to be happening right now. They set up the candles before scattering the ash around until it made a circle with a star in the middle.

The Nephilim all stood around the circle, joining hands and chanting some nonsense in another language that I didn't know.

The wind picked up fast as their chanting got louder and then stopped all together as smoke rose up in the middle of the circle.

I leaned in more trying to get a better look. A loud gasp passed my lips and I had to quickly cover my mouth and press my back against the tree to keep hidden.

The demon standing in the middle of the circle was the same one from my dream. There was no mistaking that white hair, pale skin and cat-like eyes.

All the Nephilim knelt down on one knee, bowing to the demon making him smirk at them.

"I'm shocked that you called me here. Didn't think you would have the balls to do it twice."

Valentine was the first one to look up at the demon. "Asmodeous, we demand answers. You told our ancestors that you were going to finish off the remaining Downworlders yet they are still alive. What have you been doing the last hundred years?"

The demon, Asmodeous, rolled his eyes at them. "Where is the fun in simply killing the Downworlders? Messing with them is a lot more entertaining."

"even so, you can't just leave them alive. Who knows what danger they will put our people in. We need to be protected from their heathen ways."

Asmodeous rolled his eyes again, a habit I take is one he won't be shaking any time soon.

"The curse I set on them is taking it's affect. They all only have ten hours left to live. As we speak their power becomes weaker. They wouldn't be able to harm anyone."

I covered my mouth, hiding the gasp trying to force it's way passed my lips. What was he talking about? He couldn't possibly be talking about Magnus and the others. They were going to die? That can't be true!

"You're saying that if we wanted, we could attack the remaining Downworlders and they wouldn't be able to fight against us," my father asked.

Asmodious nodded. "I don't see the point in it but yes, you would win the battle if that were to happen. They will be dead soon though."

Valentine stood up smirking down at the others. "Don't you all see? This could be our chance to get rid of the Downworlders once and for all. Why wait for a demon to kill them when we can use our own power to kill them ourselves? There's no one able to stop us."

"I wouldn't say that" Asmodious chided, looking over his nails carelessly. The others looked at him confused.

"Are you saying you would try to stop us" Hodge asked, glaring at the demon.

"Oh hell no. I would never get in the way of something like that. There is one who can stop you though. That person so happens to be ease dropping behind that tree."

I froze hearing him say that. I'm the person behind the tree.

I went to get out of there but it was too late. My arm was grabbed and I was torn away from the tree and thrown to the ground in front of the circle.

"Alexander" my father asked making me look up at him. All the Nephilim we're now standing up and watching me, including Asmodious, who was smirking evilly at me.

Glaring up at them, I got back on my feet, brushing myself off. "What is all of this? How could you call upon a demon? What did you have him do?"

Valentine looked at my father, completely ignoring me. "He knows too much Robert. We have to shut him up."

"What are you going to do, have your demon friend kill me just like he plans to kill the Downworlders?"

"Believe me child, the Downworlders will be dead long before the demon gets ahold of them. We plan on killing them with our own hands. Finish them off ourselves like our ancestors should have done centuries ago" Valentine growled.

"Finish them off after getting a demon to weaken them. That's cowardly if you ask me. That demon said that I'm the only one who can save the Downworlders. I don't know how, but you can bet that I'm going to try."

My father frowned at this. "You would defend those creatures over your own blood? Alec those demons have brainwashed you. We don't need their kind in this world."

I shook my head. "They were never a risk to us or mundanes. All they wanted was to be treated equal to us. What was so wrong about that? If you think I will just sit by and let innocent people be killed, then you don't really know me at all dad. Magnus has fought hard to save his people. I won't let that all be in vain."

My father stared at me for a long silent minute. Everything around us was dead quiet as we stare at each other. Finally, my father snapped his fingers, and the sound of it seemed to echo through out the woods.

The next thing I know, I'm on the ground, everything around me blurring and going black.

"Let's get ready for the fight. We have ten hours until the curse takes full effect. I want to kill these beasts before the demon does."

I tried to lift up my head to object. I wanted to scream that they were not going to lay a finger on those people. The words wouldn't come out though. No matter how much I opened my mouth, nothing could be heard.

"Lock him up," Valentine's voice broke through my haze. "I don't want him getting in our way."

I couldn't even feel the hands grabbing me and pulling me off the ground. Everything just went black and quiet. Only one thing left on my mind.

Magnus.

 **A/N** **: Sorry this took so long guys. I'll be honest, the reason I took so long to write this is because i wasn't very proud of my last update of It's Still Complicated. I will go more in detail when I update that story but long story short, i second guessed myself and anxiety took over.**

 **I got over it though (for now) and I'm hoping to update a lot faster. The next chapter might be the last of this story. Either that or the one after.**

 **Then the Mulan AU begins!**


	10. IMPORTANT! AUTHOR NOTE!

Okay everyone, this story will be ending soon as you know. I asked you all to choose the next story between Mulan, Aladdin, and Anastasia. The winner was Mulan but inspiration hit me today and I wanted your opinion on it.

I was watching Frozen with my niece today (more like every day since she lives with me, she is two, and has to watch it ten times a day.) And an idea for a Malec Frozen AU hit me.

I would have to move the plot around a tiny bit but I think it could be an interesting idea. It would go something like this:

Since his family were servants to the royal family, Alec Lightwood has been friends with Prince Magnus for as long as he could remember.

They used to spend almost every moment together until one day Magnus just stopped talking to him.

Years pass and the day Magnus becomes king has finally come. With the excitement of finally being able to interact with others, Alec meets a prince named Sebastian Morgenstern who he instantly falls for.

Being a servant Alec needs the kings permission to be married. When he asks Magnus however, he freaks out and uses magic in a fit of rage.

Scared, Magnus flees the castle and it's up to Alec to find him and stop the winter storm Magnus has caused.

This story will be changed around some so it has more Magnus/Alec interactions but I actually have a lot of fun ideas for this AU and want to know what you think.

Should this be the next AU?


	11. The One to Break The Spell

A/N: Final chapter finally here. wanted it to be perfect and kept writing it and re-writing it. hope you like it!

Malec Tales Series 2: The Nephilim and the Warlock- Chapter Nine- The One to Break the Spell.

Alec Pov- when I woke up I was laying on the cold ground of the Idris dungeons. It was a place that only the worst criminals go. Did my dad really put me in here?

The thought of my dad made me remember last night. He went sneaking out and I followed him to see what he was up to. It turns out he and the council have been summoning demons behind our backs. That demon put a curse on the rest of the Downworlders so they would die.

"Valentine and my father plan on killing the Downworlders before that even happens" I thought out loud.

Standing up on shaky legs, I took in my surroundings, wondering if there was a way out. The bars were sealed tight with lock runes all over them. There was a window but it was way too high to reach, it was small, and also had the bars with the runes on them.

I didn't grab my stele or any weapons before leaving the house. Not that I would even have those things now if I did. I'm sure someone would have taken them away from me.

Taking a deep breath I started pacing, feeling panic creep it's way into my mind. What will I do if I can't get out of here? That demon said he has been draining the Downworlders of their power. Magnus and Catarina used a lot of magic to save me. They most likely don't have enough power to protect themselves.

"What's the point in killing the Downworlders themselves? No one knows about them. Do they really think Magnus and the others would harm us?"

I stopped pacing, wondering for a moment if Magnus would take the chance for revenge if he could. I wouldn't blame him. He has been screwed over so many times by Nephilim.

A couple days ago I wouldn't have doubted him taking the chance to hurt our kind. Now though… I don't know.

I would like to think that he would never hurt me. Hurting my family hurts me and he would know that.

Sighing, I ran my hand over my face before running it through my hair.

Why would I get any special treatment from Magnus? I'm nothing special to him. Just the other day he tried to kill me with fire.

I'm not special to him at all.

"Alec? Alec are you around here," Jace's voice came from outside. I looked up at the window and a two sets of feet were standing in front of it.

"Jace! Isabelle! I'm down here!"

They both crouched on the ground and Isabelle gasped seeing me. "Alec, why are you in here?"

"It's a long story but I need you to let me out. Wait, how did you know I was here" I asked, confused.

Jace looked over the bars, his brain obviously working to figure out how to break them.

"We couldn't find you this morning. We were afraid you went back to that castle."

"My dad put me in here. I need to get out and go warn Magnus about what's happening. There isn't a lot of time left."

The thought of time made me tense up. "What time is it right now?"

Isabelle looked at her wrist watch frowning. "It's three in the afternoon. Never mind the time, did I hear you right? You want to go back to that castle?"

I ignored her question, only able to focus on the time of day. Asmodeous said there were only ten hours left until the curse killed the Downworlders. That was at six am. If it was three in the afternoon, then that means I only have… one hour left!

I started pacing the room again, feeling the panic eat me up worse than before. There was only one hour left to save Magnus. How could I have been out cold for so long? Did my father and Valentine leave already? Maybe they already killed him.

Maybe it's too late.

"Alec… are you crying" Isabelle asked, snapping me out of my freak out.

I touched my face and like she said, tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"I've never seen you cry before" Jace commented, looking slightly shocked.

I turned to look at them, the panic in me vanishing as I tried to control my emotions. "Isabelle, did dad go anywhere?"

She frowned not seeming to like me suddenly changing the subject.

"He just left the house twenty minutes ago."

Relief hit me like a truck. It took about thirty minutes to find the castle. If anything, they are just getting close to the castle grounds.

"You need to get me out of here. I need to save Magnus before it's too late."

"Alec what is going on? You aren't making any sense" Jace asked looking beyond confused and a little irritated.

"I don't have time for questions right now guys. Jace please, if you respect me as your Parabatai then you will get me out of here and help me. I need you right now. Please."

He watched me for a silent minute before sighing and pulling out his stele. "Stand back."

Smiling at him, I backed up as far as I could until I was against the wall. He wrote some runes on the bars before quickly grabbing Isabelle's arm and running away from the window.

The bars started to sizzle before an explosion caused them to burst out of the window.

I waited for the smoke to clear before running up to the window, looking up at it.

"I need help out. One of you give me your hand."

They both ran back up to the window and each held out a hand for me. I took both of them before they hoisted me up and out the window.

We took a minute to catch our breaths before I looked toward the forest frowning. "There's no way to get to the castle before the hour is up. Either dad will kill Magnus or the curse will. I need a fast way to get there."

Isabelle grabbed my arm turning me around to face her. "You need to tell us what is going on."

I pulled away from her glaring. "There's no time for this! Our father is going to kill the man I love! I need to stop him before it's too late!"

Jace and Isabelle stared at me wide eyed and I blinked confused.

"What?"

"Did you hear what you just said," Jace asked, his face still full of shock.

"No… what did I say?"

"You said your dad was going to kill the man you love. You're telling me that you fell in love with that warlock? How is that even possible?"

Now it was my turn to be shocked. Did I really say that I loved Magnus?

"I don't have time to think about that right now. Maybe I'm in love with Magnus and maybe I'm not. What matters now is getting to him so I can save him from my father and the curse."

I looked at Jace, getting an idea. "Do you still have the map to the waterfall I gave you the other day?"

He nodded "it's still in my bag. Why do you want it?"

"The only way I will get to the castle on time is if I take a portal. The portal in the Accords Hall is broken so the waterfall is our only option."

Jace reached into his bag, digging around before pulling the map out. He unfolded it, looking it over before handing it to me.

The map showed that there was a fifteen minutes hike to the waterfall from Alicante. I glared at Jace.

"How is it you both couldn't follow such a simple map?"

"Hey! It was dark out and the forest caught on fire!"

Isabelle crossed her arms, "also Jace said it would be easier just to find it ourselves."

Jace glared at her, obviously feeling betrayed.

I shook my head at them before looking back at the map and heading into the forest without another word.

They both looked at each other before following me.

"You are crazy if you think we are letting you go back to that castle by yourself," Jace chided making me roll my eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Magnus isn't a bad person. He was just delt a bad hand."

Isabelle frowned looking at our surroundings. "Do you really think you are in love with him? You've only been at the castle for a few days. That's not a very realistic time to fall in love with someone."

"Can we not talk about this right now? I don't know how I feel about Magnus. All I know is that I don't want him to die. Now let's focus on finding this waterfall alright?"

They both nodded but didn't seem happy with my answer. I ignored them, using the silence to focus on the map and where we were going.

Magnus Pov- "Are you going to come down for dinner" Ragnor asked standing in the doorway of my bedroom.

I was sitting in a chair on the balcony, staring blankly at the barely lit witchlight taunting me from behind it's glass case.

"I'm not hungry" I grumbled, folding my arms on the table and laying my chin on them. Ragnor shook his head, walking over to me.

"You should join us. It will be our last meal after all. We should eat it together like a family."

"Since when do you see me as family," I asked slightly surprised.

"You're like the idiot little brother I never got to have. Don't really know if I ever wanted him, but I got stuck with him anyway."

My lip twitched into a slight smile before it fell again and I looked back at the Witchlight.

"We only have an hour left Ragnor."

He nodded "Yes, I know. An hour you are wasting sulking out here over a boy. He left Magnus. Don't give him your final hours. The Nephilim win that way."

I sat up looking out toward the castle gates. "Alec wasn't like the other Nephilim."

"A Nephilim with no blood on their hands is still a Nephilim" he said before grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the chair.

"This is the last meal we will ever have together. I'm not going to let you waste your last hour up here sulking. Either you come down with me or I send Tessa up here to drag you downstairs."

I sighed obnoxiously, leaning my head back before looking at him again. "Fine, you win."

He nodded and led me out of the room and down the hall. I held my breath as we passed Alec's room. Everything around me was reminding me of him, even his bedroom door.

I already missed him so much. It's crazy to think about but it's true. Somehow I had fallen in love with him in the span of a couple days. How could anyone not love Alec?

I'm sure he wasn't missing me. There's no way he would ever have feelings for me let alone be in love with me. It was foolish to think that the curse would ever be broken.

"You look exhausted. Did you manage to get any sleep last night?"

I shrugged frowning. "About an hour or so. I had a weird dream last night."

Ragnor glanced at me frowning. "Usually it's not good when you have 'weird dreams'. If we all listened to your dream about a war coming, maybe it would have saved us so much loss."

"Yes but no one listened so there is no point dwelling on it. I don't know what this dream was trying to tell me. It was about Alec. The two of us were standing on top of the Eiffel Tower together and we were going to kiss. Next thing I know, a man I've never met before who looked a lot like Alec showed up. He threw a dagger in my direction and Alec quickly pushed me out of the way, taking the dagger in the heart for me."

"Well then we both know it was just a weird dream. There is no way a Shadowhunter would throw their life away for a Downworlder."

I shrugged looking down at my hands. "There was so much blood. He died in my arms and I was powerless to save him. My magic wouldn't work."

Alec dying in my arms was maybe the worst thing I have ever seen in any dream. Especially since he died trying to save me.

I asked myself the other day if Alec would ever choose to die for me. If he would choose me over the world he vowed to protect over all else.

Now that I had that dream, I hope Alec never throws his life away for me. I never want to see him bleeding to death in my arms like in that dream.

We walked into the kitchen and everyone turned to look at me, keeping quiet. I nodded my head at them in greeting before glancing at Raphael and Simon.

After Alec left Raphael and I got in a fight over how he treated him. I didn't like his attitude and he said that he can have whatever 'tude' he wants to have. He then stormed off pulling Simon along with him.

"What's for dinner" Raphael asked ignoring me and walking over to the table. I sighed, not liking that we were spending our last hour together fighting. Guess he's going to be stubborn to the very end.

Tessa finished putting chicken and rolls on the table. "I made everything in the kitchen. I'd hate for food to be wasted. Raphael and Simon, there is a raw stake for you as well."

We all sat down and the moment our butts hit he seats, all the lights went out.

"Okay, who forgot to pay the electric bill" Simon joked, making us all groan.

"The lights are usually managed by Magnus's magic" Catarina pointed out, making a small flame in her hand to light up the room. The flame was dim, barely enough to light up everyone's faces.

I frowned making a flame in my hand as well but it was the same as hers.

"It seems Asmodious is sucking the strength out of us. It will only be a matter of time until we stop being able to function."

"Without our magic we can't put the lights on" Ragnor sighed looking around.

Simon shook his head standing up. "We just need to get some matches. I'm sure there are some in the kitchen."

He went to walk away but suddenly swayed and started falling to the floor. Raphael moved as fast as lightning, standing up and grabbing him before he could hit the ground.

They fell to the floor from his weight, Raphael on his knees and Simon in his arms. He was now out cold, dead weight in Raphael's arms.

Slight panic in his eyes, Raphael looked him over, making sure he wasn't dead. That wasn't easy to do since being a vampire, Simon doesn't have a pulse.

"Simon is the youngest here. It makes since that he's the first to feel the effect of the curse."

Raphael's face paled more than usual if that was even possible. He slowly shook his head, pulling Simon against his chest.

"No. I watched my entire clan be killed, I can't have Simon die on me too."

"We are all going to die. It's just likely that Simon will die first" Ragnor sighed, watching him.

I glared at him before frowning at Raphael. "You won't have to watch Simon die. He needs somewhere to rest. Let's take him to his room."

Raphael nodded picking him up. I stood up and went with him to go to Simon's room.

We got into the hall and the sound of slamming stopped us in our tracks. I frowned looking at the front door confused.

"What was that?"

"I think it was the front door" Raphael answered, squinting at the door.

Like he said, the slamming once again came from outside the door.

Hope fluttered in my chest. Could it be Alec? Could he have come back and was slamming on the door to be let in?

I went to walk toward the door but Raphael put his arm in front of me, glaring at the door.

"Don't Magnus. It's not Alec."

He sniffed the air before holding Simon closer to his chest. "It's Nephilim. A group of adult Nephilim. I don't think Alec is with them."

The slamming got louder and I frowned staring at the door. Did Alec send them here? How else would they know about this place? Maybe Alec told them that we held him here against his will and they came to get revenge.

Alec wouldn't do that though… right?

"The wards should keep them out" I said dismissively, trying not to let my brain go into panic mode. What if Alec did send them here to get rid of us?

"Magnus your magic isn't strong enough to keep the lights on. I doubt the wards are very strong. They will get in here sooner or later and none of us are strong enough to fight them."

He was right. The doors were about to burst open from how hard they were slamming on them. It was only a matter of time until they got in.

"Take Simon to his room and lay him down. Stay with him no matter what. I'll gather the others and defend the castle."

He seemed hesitant about leaving us to fight alone but one more look at Simon limp in his arms made up his mind for him. He quickly turned away, going up the stairs to Simon's room.

I watched him before turning to the door again frowning. The slamming got louder and it grabbed the attention of the others. They came out of the dining room with frowns.

"What the heck is that noise" Ragnor asked, looking toward the door.

"We have guests from Alicante. It doesn't seem like a friendly visit."

Before anyone could react the doors flung open, revealing a group of six Nephilim. The fact that there wasn't a whole army proved that the Clave didn't tell a lot of people about our kind.

They all stepped into the castle, soaking wet from the pounding rain outside. When did it start raining?

The sight of them made my mind flash back to the past. Memories of whole brigades of Shadowhunters breaking into our homes and dragging us out of them. Catching every building of Alicente on fire until there was nothing left.

My hands were shaking from the memory but I clenched them to make them stop. I would not show weakness to Nephilim. Never again!

"Gentlemen, you are on private land. The fact that you're here means you know about the treaty. No matter what amount of time has passed, anyone who trespasses here will instantly be killed."

The leader of the group, a man with hair so blonde it was almost white, smirked at my threat.

"You will kill us? We all know you don't have the power required to do that. The curse is taking great effect on you isn't it. Can't even keep the lights on" he bragged, gesturing around him at the darkness.

All the Downworlders in the room stiffened at the mention of the curse. How did they know about it?

Suddenly everything started to make sense. How the Nephilim knew our weaknesses, how they had the power to get rid of warlocks. When Tessa and I snuck inside the Clave Archives we discovered that they may have got the assistance of a demon.

Now there is no doubt about it. They hired Asmodious to help beat Downworlders. They faked some treaty of peace while stabbing us in the back once again and using the same demon to curse us.

I'm sure the length of the curse was Asmodious's doing. The Nephilim wanted us dead right away but the demon couldn't give up the chance to play with his food first.

"How did you do it" I asked glaring. "Summoning Asmodious is close to impossible for anyone who doesn't share his blood. Making a deal with him is even more unlikely. What did you tell him to get him to work with you?"

A man stepped in front of the blonde and I stiffened more, seeing Alec in him. He was an adult man with black hair and blue eyes. He was also the same man from my dream last night.

The memory of Alec bleeding in my arms made me clench my hands even tighter, this time though the shaking wouldn't stop.

"Our ancestors gave the demon something he couldn't refuse. The despair of all Downworlders. He was also promised all the souls of those Downworlders," the black haired man answered.

"Why come here" Ragnor demanded, standing in front of me. My guess is that he was trying to hide the fact that I was shaken.

"If you know of the curse then you also know that we will be dead by the hour. There is no reason for you to come here."

Four out of the six Nephilim snickered at the question and the blonde shook his head. "Why wait for a demon to kill you? You are powerless now without your magic. We need to kill you ourselves like our ancestors should have done a thousand years ago."

Tessa glared at them. "You we're too afraid to face us when we were at our full power. That's cowardice. I thought Nephilim we're supposed to be fearless."

My hands stopped shaking as I mentally screamed at myself to get a grip. I glanced at the blue eyed man frowning.

"I'm going to assume you are Alexander's father."

He stood up straight, his eyes intense on me now. "And I'm to assume you are the filthy warlock that tried to corrupt my son. Asmodious said you thought he could break your curse. How dare you even think my son would fathom the thought of being with you?"

"Alec isn't ignorant like you. If anyone tried to corrupt him it's you. Lying to him about the Downworlders, trying to force him into a job he doesn't want to have. You just wanted him to turn into you."

"Enough talk Robert. It's time for action" the blonde said, pulling out a long sword. Robert nodded before pulling out two serif blades.

"Valentine is right. Wither my son could love you or not doesn't matter. You'll be dead any second."

The blonde, Valentine, ran at me with speed I wasn't expecting. He was using a rune no doubt and I haven't had to deal with those for over a thousand years.

He swung his sword up, going to bring it down on my head but an arrow flew passed me so fast it hit the sword and knocked it out of his hand.

The clanking noise of steel hitting the ground echoed around us as everyone stood around in silent shock.

What the heck just happened?

Robert looked passed me at the stairs and his blue eyes were intense with anger.

"Alexander! What do you think you are doing?"

My heart pounded in my chest at the sound of the Nephilim's name. I quickly turned around and Alec was standing there, his bow in hand. He reached behind his back, pulling another arrow out of it's holder.

"Alexander… you're here."

He smiled slightly at me before the serious expression came back to his face. He looked at his father, glaring.

"I'm not going to let you hurt the Downworlders anymore. They have been through enough. Summon that demon and call off the curse or else."

I don't know what surprised me more; the fact that Alec knew about the curse or that he was threatening his own father to have us released from it. I glanced behind Alec, seeing the two teens who originally broke into the caste. The girl watched her father in confusion and the blonde watched me skeptically.

I'm sure he doesn't trust me after I threw him, locked him up, and then took away his Parabatai.

Oops.

Robert glared daggers at Alexander. "You would choose their kind over us?

"I'm choosing to do what is right! It wasn't right for our ancestors to betray the Downworlders and it's not right for you to try to kill them now. Please stop and have the demon remove the curse."

I smiled at Alec sadly. "It doesn't work that way Alec. Asmodeus can't take the curse away. The curse can only be broken."

He lowered his arrow frowning at me. "Well then, tell me how to break the curse and I'll do it."

I bit my lip staying silent. Telling Alec to tell me he loves me is pretty much admitting that I love him. Asmodeus said that if Alec rejects me, he will die along with the rest of us. I can't risk Alec's life just for the slight chance that it will save us.

"I can't tell you that, Alexander."

He looked at me confused and Tessa glanced at me frowning.

"Magnus…"

"I'm not going to risk it Tessa. I'm sorry. I know it's selfish of me but I think I've earned the right to be selfish. I can't save you all but I can save him."

They all stayed quiet, not arguing about it.

"Enough about this nonsense! It's time to attack," Valentine yelled before running toward us again. The other Nephilim followed his lead, raising their weapons high.

Ragnor got in front of me, swiping his hands and making a large shield wall form in front of us. Sweat dripped down his face from the strain it was putting on his body. He didn't have much magic left. The shield turned translucent but was still strong enough to hold the Nephilim back for now.

"Magnus… there isn't much time. I know you don't want to risk it. I know there is a chance it will end badly. Even so, you need to try to break the curse. If there is a chance to save us and yourself, then you should take it."

I frowned looking around at everyone. They stayed silent but I could see it in their eyes. They wanted me to take this chance. They didn't want to die.

I've fought so hard to protect all these people for so long. Could I really just give up on them just to save one other?

What about Alec? Can I risk Alec's life for the chance to live?

Quickly turning away from everyone I ran to the stairs, going up them and grabbing Alec by the wrist. He looked at me confused as I pulled him with me the rest of the way up. He followed me down the hall and up the war wing steps.

"Magnus, what Ragnor said down there. Do you know how to break your curse? Asmodeous told me that I was the only one who could save you all. If there is a way please tell me. I don't want you guys to die."

I didn't answer him. Instead I pulled him into my room and closed the door, locking it. Alec glanced at the lock before looking at me again.

"That won't work you know. There are unlocking runes."

"I only need a few minutes" I said softly, walking over to the balcony. The witchlight sitting in it's case was so dim. My being alive still was the only proof that it was still glowing at all.

"I only have five minutes left Alec. The curse will take my soul along with the other Downworlders."

"Tell me how to help you and it won't" he begged, his gorgeous blue eyes searching mine. They looked scared and desperate. It's nice to think that that fear is for me. That's wishful thinking on my part though.

"Magnus please… let me save you."

My hands shook as they reached up and grabbed Alec by the arms. He looked down at my hands before looking up at me again, his eyes full of questions.

"Your existence saved me" I whispered softly before leaning down and pressing my lips against his.

His eyes were wide before I closed mine and just enjoyed the feeling of his lips on mine. Slowly, I felt his lips start to move against mine, and I was over the moon.

I pulled my mouth away from his, opening my eyes looking down at him again. He kept his eyes closed for a moment before opening them, looking up at me again.

"I'm in love with you Alexander. I know it's crazy since we barely know each other but it's true. I'm in love with you and the only way to save us is for you to be in love with me."

This was it. Alec knew I was in love with him now. Now his life depended on him loving me too. There's no way I'll tell him that though. He needs to make this choice on his own. I just wish his life wasn't the gambling chip.

Alec kept staring at me wide eyed, not saying a word. He broke eye contact and walked over to the table putting his hands on it and leaning forward.

He looked overwhelmed.

Alec Pov- 'I love you.' His words rung in my ears repeatedly along with the loud thumping of my heart racing.

What was I supposed to say? Yeah, I blurted out that I loved him to Jace and Isabelle but that doesn't mean anything… does it?

I was in a panic when I said that. Saying it confused me and having Magnus say it back was even more confusing.

"Alexander… please say something."

I wanted to speak but every time I opened my mouth, my tongue would run dry. My heart was still pounding in my chest, ringing in my ears.

Magnus loves me. What should I say? Do I really love him? Do I have the right to love him? He has been through so much and lost faith in Nephilim. What if he figures out that he doesn't want me after all?

I don't want to hurt him.

I don't want him to hurt me.

Magnus would never hurt me.

But I could hurt him. God, all the ways I could end up hurting him. Not telling him I love him will kill him. If I say I love you I need to mean it. What if I say it back and it still doesn't save him?

Would I mean it if I said it out loud?

"Alexander…"

I stood up straight turning around to look at him. His face was expressionless but his eyes said it all. They looked desperate, a gloss of tears filling over them but he wouldn't let them fall down his cheeks.

The door slammed open, my father running through it and looking around before looking at us. Everyone else must have still been downstairs fighting. He glanced at me before glaring at Magnus.

"I will not let you corrupt my son!"

He pulled a dagger out of his weapons bag and my heart immediately stopped. My father was amazing when it came to daggers. He never missed his mark. If he threw that at Magnus-

The dagger flew out of my dad's hand at lightning speed. Before I could even think, my legs were already moving. I stepped in front of Magnus may arms spread wide to use my body to shield him.

I didn't realize what exactly I did until the dagger was piercing through my chest, barely missing my heart.

Feeling all the air leave my lungs, I put my hands over my chest and stumbled backwards. Magnus grabbed me, falling to the ground with me as my legs gave out.

His wide panicked eyes looked over my body before meeting with mine.

"Alexander… what did you do? Why would you do that?"

His face was fading in and out but I forced myself to stay awake.

"The dagger… it w-would have killed you" I breathed out before coughing roughly. The feeling of coughing made my lungs burn horribly.

Magnus shook his head cupping my face in his hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks which surprised me.

"I'm going to die any minute Alec. You didn't have to do this."

"Y-yes I did…"

"No you didn't! You were supposed to see the world! You were supposed to live your life in my place!"

The tears were coming down harder now, it was making my eyes start to water too.

"I… I don't want the world. I want you."

It was true. I could see it clear as day now. Magnus was everything I wanted. His smiling face, his gorgeous catlike eyes. He was perfect. The memory of us standing on top of the Effie Tower was everything I could ever want.

Magnus seemed shocked by my words. He smiled sadly at me, cupping my face more in his hands.

"You stupid Nephilim."

I smiled weakly, my vision starting to go dark.

"I love you too."

Magnus Pov- 'I love you too.' Was I hearing that right? Maybe the fear of my worst nightmare coming true was making me hear things.

There's no way Alec just told me he loves me, right? He was panicking when I told him. He looked ready to pass out and I knew there was no chance of him saying it back to me.

Then his father came in and everything happened so fast. Before I knew it, Alexander was in front of me with a dagger in his chest.

Robert Lightwood ran up to us, getting on his knees and reaching out to pull Alec out of my arms. I held him tighter to my chest, growling at the man who stabbed him.

Robert glared at me but the fear of his son bleeding to death was still in his eyes. So he can feel guilt and sorrow after all. Who would have thought.

"That dagger was meant for you, monster. Not my son. I don't know what kind of spell you placed over him, but getting him to shield you with his own body is despicable."

That made me furious. He really thinks I would force Alec to do something like that?

I opened my mouth to scream at him but stopped, seeing that he was now frozen in place in front of me. It wasn't just him. Everything around me felt like a void frozen in time. Even the sound of fighting downstairs had ceased.

"I'm very impressed my son. I would have never thought you would actually manage to break the curse," Asmodeous's voice echoed in the room.

I looked around, trying to locate where the voice was coming from.

"The curse… is broken? How?"

"Isn't it obvious? Your precious Alexander told you he loved you. That was the arrangement you and I made. You had to fall in love with a Shadowhunter and have them love you in return. I never thought you would be able to do it, yet here we are.

"It's a shame however, that he used his dying breath to say it."

I looked down at Alec, tears pooling out of my eyes when I saw that the demon was right. Alec was pale and limp in my arms. He wasn't frozen in time, he was lifeless.

"Please… bring him back."

Asmodeous's interest was quirked by that.

"What good would it do for me to bring him back? Your misery was always my main goal. I couldn't take your life or the life of your friends but at least I took the one thing you hold most dear. Why would I change that?"

"There's one thing you want more than my misery. You want my soul. I'll give it to you. I'll make whatever deal you want to make. Just please bring him back."

My father stroked his chin in thought, looking down at Alec's dead body in my arms.

"I will admit it, I do want your soul. It's the most powerful out of all my children. You're saying you will give it to me willingly?"

I looked down at Alec before looking up at him. "I'm saying I will give you half my soul now. I want to live with Alec. I want to be in love with Alec. There is no way I'm going to die before I can."

Asmodious thought a moment longer before smirking.

"I won't be taking your soul… yet."

This confused me.

"Then what do you want?"

He shrugged "The payment of your soul will be plenty. I just won't take it right now. Love makes a soul extra delicious. I'm giving it a chance to marinate. Instead, I will place a new curse upon you, and Alec both."

I tensed up at the mention of another curse but didn't object. I would do anything to save Alec.

"I will bring your lover back to life and let you live out his days together. I'm generous when I want to be. There will be no second chance after that. The moment Alec dies a second time, you will die with him. The same goes the other way around. You die, Alec dies too. Your souls will be bound for all eternity, and when the time comes, I will have both of your souls as mine."

I didn't like the idea of Alec's soul going to a demon. His was supposed to go to the angel. I'm sure it was there right now.

Even so, for once in my long life, I want to be selfish. I want Alec no matter what it will cost us both. I would hope that Alec would feel the same way.

"I accept your deal."

My father smirked wickedly at me before vanishing into smoke.

The world around me unfroze and Robert Lightwood put his hand on his head, looking like he was in a daze.

I watched him before looking down at Alec, hopefully.

I could see movement behind his eyelids before he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His gaze stopped on his dad for a moment before he looked up at me and a weak, sweet smile appeared on his face.

I sighed with relief, smiling back at him.

"You're alive."

I slowly helped him sit up and he laid his head on my shoulder, still too weak to stay up on his own. He looked up at me, his eyes blue and bright again.

"You saved my life…" he whispered softly.

I smiled at him, stroking his cheek with my thumb.

"You saved mine first."

He smiled and leaned up, pressing his lips against mine. I held him close softly kissing him back.

As we kissed, I felt a surge of power go through my body. My magic being restored to it's full power. Robert must have felt it too. He quickly backed away from me, knowing I was way too strong to fight now.

Alec broke our kiss before turning to look at his dad frowning.

"Dad please… do the right thing."

Robert frowned down at Alec, seeming to genuinely think about what his son was asking of him. He didn't think too long though, for a scowl returned to his face and he glared at me one more time before walking out of the room.

Alec sighed laying his head back on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, equality might never happen for you guys. It's not fair."

I smiled sweetly at him, tilting his chin up to look at me.

"As long as I have you, I don't care what the world will think about me. I love you Alexander."

Alec smiled, tears in his eyes.

"I love you too, Magnus."

 **One Year Later**

"Are you ready to go sight seeing now" Alec asked me, leaning against the bathroom doorway of our hotel room in Paris.

I've been spending the last hour freaking out over how cool hotels are. They didn't have these a thousand years ago, they were freaking amazing. Our bathroom even has a bathtub with jets in them. Alec called it a Jacuzzi tub.

"You know I am. I can't wait to see how much Pairs has changed."

Alec and I wanted to start traveling the moment the curse was broken. However, we didn't take into a account how overwhelming it would be for us Downworlders to see how much the world changed without us. It was a lot to adjust to. So Alec and I waited a year to travel.

"Great, give me a second to get ready" Alec said before walking back into the bathroom.

I went back to unpacking some of our clothes when I noticed something familiar in Alec's suitcase.

It was a small weathered leather bound book that I thought I would never see again.

Was this my journal? That's impossible. I threw this thing into the river after the war. I never wanted to see this awful thing again. Why did Alec have it?

Frowning, I opened the book and skimmed through some of my early entries. God, I was so full of hope before the war. I second guessed myself and gave he Nephilim the benefit of the doubt.

You could tell that the more I wrote, the more my hope was slowly dying. My old self asked a lot of questions about love and if I would ever achieve it.

It made me smile to know that I have.

My smile fell while reading over my last entry. I had asked if anyone would remember me if I was gone. That question used to haunt me every night during the war. Fighting so hard to just be forgotten in the end.

Sighing, I turned the page and tensed up at what I saw there. In Alec's beautiful neat writing, four little words were written.

I will remember you.

It made tears sting at my eyes. All the weight of that question that's always been holding me down was suddenly lifted.

"Magnus, are you okay" Alec asked rushing over to me. He looked at the journal before glancing up at me, guilty. Guess he was expecting me to yell at him for having it.

Instead, I dropped the book onto the bed and pulled Alec into a tight embrace. He seemed surprised but didn't hesitate to hug me back.

"Thank you" I whispered in his ear.

He pulled away enough to look up at me.

"For what? I didn't do anything."

I smiled at that. "You have done everything."

Alec smiled and gave me a sweet kiss before hugging me again. I hugged him back tightly, enjoying the feeling of love and acceptance that filled me every time I did.

A/N:I hope it didn't feel rushed. i kept making changes and trying to make it longer but finally settled on this ending.

Next is the frozen AU which I want to get the first chapter out by this friday at least. look out for that.

will most likely just be called Malec tales series 2: Frozen Au, because i couldn't think of a title.

thanks for supporting this series!


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